Into the Flame
by VivaJayne
Summary: Spin off of The River: Raeger and Maya have been friends for a while, bonding over their mutual failures at finding love. But what happens when they decide to try something a little different? Will they both feel the same? Do not need to read The River to understand this fic. Lots of smut and fluff. RaegerxAnnie/Minori
1. Roses are Red

**Hey everyone! Welcome to my newest story!**

 **For those of you who have been following me for a while, you may recognize some things in this story. And for good reason: it's a spin off of my other Story of Seasons fan fiction,** _ **The River**_ **.**

 **That story was all about Klaus and Maya (Annie/Minori), but during the process I experimented with Maya and Raeger. I liked them a lot, but ultimately the story was centered around Klaus. So, this is my solution to that!**

 **You don't have to read the other story to understand this one (although if you wanted to read it, I wouldn't be opposed or anything…) but for those of you who have, this story begins just after Chapter Seven: Roses Are Red in** _ **The River**_ **.**

 **I hope you all enjoy!**

 _Into the Flame_

Chapter 1: Roses Are Red

 _"We'll never know unless we try," He winked, trailing his hand up Maya's leg, over the curve of her hips and waist, coming to rest on the side of her neck. "Tell me if you want me to stop."_

 _Giving her a chance to decline and only pressing forward when she closed her eyes, Raeger pulled her to him and kissed her._

 _He tugged her closer, his fingers tangling in her hair and securing her in his embrace; he was confident and sure, as he always was, and had every intention of taking complete control of their kiss-_

 _Maya whimpered, throwing him off balance in the most delicious way._

 _He felt like they were challenging each other- pushing limitations and comfort in a competition of sexuality. She one-upped him, shifting until she was in his lap, straddling his hips, to see if he would back off. He didn't._

 _Raeger made a low sound in the back of his throat, his hands slipping down Maya's body from her hair to her hips, holding her in place and fighting the urge to grind into her. Raeger was surprised at himself- he expected this to feel stranger than it did._

 _"Maya-" Raeger whispered, his voice husky. He was about to break the kiss, knowing that if he allowed it to go on longer he wouldn't be able to stop his instincts from completely dominating him, when the unmistakeable sound of a door met his ears._

A sharp shudder ripped down Raeger's spine as he remembered, his shoes crunching noisily down the path leading away from Maya's farm.

The night was clear and crisp, very unlike his thoughts which were muddled and angry. How the hell had he let this happen? That was a stupid question. He knew exactly how it had happened, the issue was now what on earth he was going to do about it.

Raeger had kissed Maya. His best friend, his confidant, the new girl in town that was head over heels in love with another man, and Raeger had kissed her. Not only that, but he'd twisted her love for Klaus into the reason behind their kiss.

If he wasn't so pissed at himself, he'd be a little impressed.

Maya had moved to Oak Tree Town a few seasons ago. The two had become fast friends, and while Raeger always found her attractive, he'd never done anything like this before. Not since her feelings for the local perfumer had become so blatantly obvious.

It was the day of the Flower Festival, so the sickly-sweet perfume of flowers was everywhere, surrounding him even as he passed the Guild Hall. He'd only been at Maya's to comfort her after Klaus's polarizing reaction to her Flower Fest gift, and yet in the midst of their conversation they'd ended up making out on her couch.

If Fritz hadn't walked in on them, he didn't know where they would've ended up.

Raeger fumbled with his keys. Maya, in an effort to woo the older man, had given Klaus a sketchbook instead of a flower for the Festival. Raeger thought it was a wonderful gift, but Klaus's reaction had been a bit aloof. That was the reason Maya had summoned him, to ease some of her discouragement.

He was always happy to be there for Maya. Raeger made a point of it, most of the time, to be as available as he could to the young farmer. She was new, and didn't have many friends outside of him, and he found her intoxicatingly adorable.

Convincing her to kiss him, however, was likely not what she wanted him around for.

 _"Do you mean to tell me that Klaus didn't cross your mind at all during this little exchange?" He challenged, grinning in pained satisfaction as Maya flushed scarlet. "That's what I thought. But if it makes you feel any better…"_

 _Raeger's hands went to Maya's waist, giving her a gentle but suggestive squeeze._

 _"There was a moment there," He began, letting his words roll off his tongue seductively, "that my mind was entirely focused on you."_

 _Maya returned his playful smirk, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and bring him closer to her._

 _"Well naturally," She purred, capturing his lips in another kiss. Raeger groaned in surprise, returning the gesture more eagerly than he would've expected. "I am incredibly attractive after all."_

 _Raeger burst into laughter, kissing her one more time for good measure. His lips lingered, tasting her, until she giggled and he knew the moment was over. He pulled away, his mouth set in a flirtatious grin._

Raeger groaned, flopping onto his bed with a solid thump. Of course he'd been focused on her, he'd been painfully aware of her the entire time. It hurt him to ask, but he knew she'd been thinking about Klaus. He just needed to hear it to pry himself away from her.

How could he have been so stupid?

The clock on Raeger's bedside table ticked away, irritating him further. His heart was pounding, his stomach was tight with anger, and to top it all off he was still painfully aroused. Everything he'd done in the last hour had been nothing but a gigantic mistake.

Even thinking that, Raeger couldn't bring himself to regret what he'd done. The taste of Maya's kiss lingered on his lips, a taste that he liked more than he was comfortable with.

Raeger had had his fair share of women. Most of the bachelorettes in town had been his girlfriend at some point or another, and for the longest time he'd been caught up on one blonde beauty in particular.

Iris.

Ironically, Klaus's best friend was Raeger's biggest regret from his playboy lifestyle. Iris was the whole package, and his feelings for her had scared Raeger into breaking it off in the worst way possible. He'd never been so afraid of a response to a text message in his life.

Raeger feared he would never get over Iris. He even went as far as to share his concerns with Maya- bonding with her over their mutual dismay at their poor luck in love. He wasn't entirely sure when his lamenting became less about venting his frustrations and more about spending time with Maya, but before he knew it he was thinking about his new friend more often than not.

But now he had kissed her, and everything was different.

Raeger could handle a crush. He'd had them on countless women, and with a little determination and time he could usually banish them with relative ease. That had been his plan with Maya. It would've worked, if he hadn't kissed her.

His heart was still roaring in his ears, his breathing shallow and his stomach fluttering in ways he hadn't thought it could. The memory of Maya's body in his arms and her legs around his hips, her tongue in his mouth, her almost inaudible moans-

"Argh!" Raeger groaned, rolling onto his stomach. He tried and failed to push the image from his mind. He couldn't go down this path, not with her. For Goddess' sake she was in love with someone else! Raeger found that thought and held on for dear life, using it to dispel any hope that was taking root in his heart.

He would never be with Maya. Not now, not ever, and that was just how it was supposed to be, despite what others might-

Raeger sat bolt upright in his bed, his stomach suddenly clenched in fear.

Fritz. Fritz had walked in on them kissing and then stormed off before they could explain. If Raeger didn't enact some damage control, the entire town would know about the incident by morning. He couldn't let that happen- Maya would be devastated if Klaus found out.

Pulling on his old leather jacket, Raeger made a break for the door. He was still shrugging his arm into the sleeve when he reached the handle, giving a mighty tug and nearly running headlong into someone waiting on the other side.

"Jesus!" Raeger cursed, skidding to a sudden stop with the help of the doorframe. He flipped his long ochre-coloured hair out of his eyes, and came face to face with the exact man he was just taking off to find.

"Fritz?" Raeger blinked, furrowing his brow. "What are you doing here?"

Fritz had looked just as startled at Raeger's sudden appearance as Raeger had at his, and he was momentarily frozen in that state. After a few hard breaths, Fritz donned an angered expression.

"I came to yell at you!" Fritz pouted, his volume about the same as normal despite his words. "How could you not tell me? I'm your friend, Raeger!"

"Not tell you about what?" Raeger tilted his head, realising as soon as the words left his mouth what Fritz was referring to. His realisation didn't come quick enough though; Fritz had taken more offense to Raeger's ignorance.

"About Maya!" He exclaimed loudly, his shout echoing in the still night air. Raeger's heart skipped a beat- at this rate someone was bound to hear him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Raeger whispered, hoping to calm his friend's anger with his gentle tone. The effect was less than successful as Fritz huffed. "Please, come inside and we can-"

"No!" Fritz stepped back out of the chef's reach, stomping his foot like a toddler.

Raeger felt a pang of guilt. Even though Fritz wasn't correct in his assumptions, he was hurt enough to confront him. This was a big deal for Fritz- he generally avoided confrontation at all costs. Raeger opened his mouth to defend himself and ease his friend's mind, but Fritz wasn't done.

"You told me there was nothing going on between you two," he continued, sounding more saddened than frustrated now. "Why did you lie to me? You never lie to me!"

"Fritz," Raeger interrupted, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I didn't lie to you, I promise. Come inside, okay? I'll explain what happened."

Fritz hesitated. Raeger could see that he wanted to come in, but whether it was his anger at Raeger or an inherent distrust, Fritz was unsure if he would comply. They stood in the doorway long enough for the chill in the air to seep into Raeger's bones, and then Fritz pushed passed him into the restaurant.

Fritz's heavy work boots resounded through the empty restaurant as he stomped to the bar. Raeger followed, already formulating what he was going to say. He'd known Fritz for many years, but he wasn't always the most understanding person. Likely Raeger would have trouble getting his ideas across.

"I'm not going to pretend you didn't see me and Maya kissing," Raeger began, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He knew it was best to confirm Fritz's beliefs before trying to change them; he'd encounter less resistance that way.

"But you're not together," Fritz mumbled doubtfully. Raeger cringed.

"No, we're not."

Fritz heaved a sigh. "You know that makes no sense," he pointed out, eying Raeger with disdain. "What, you just go around kissing whoever you like now?"

"Apparently," Raeger muttered, avoiding Fritz's piercing stare. "Look, I'm not saying it makes any sense. Maya and I were just kind of… caught up in the moment, I guess. We both decided it didn't mean anything, so it doesn't, okay?"

Fritz was silent as he contemplated Raeger's words. Raeger knew that he couldn't push Fritz- the fiery-haired farmer would come to his conclusion in his own time and no sooner. So, Raeger waited patiently.

He hadn't realised how tired he was. The silence that filled the room as Fritz thought pressed in on him with a weight that wore on his shoulders. Raeger tried to suppress a yawn. It was only about 11, but he felt like he could sleep for 12 hours straight. He almost wished he could; perhaps that would fix everything.

Finally, Fritz lifted his gaze to meet Raeger's. The two stared at each other apprehensively until Fritz spoke.

"Okay," he nodded, exhaling. "I believe you that it didn't mean anything."

Raeger was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thank Fritz for understanding, when all of a sudden he spoke again.

"But are you okay with that?"

Raeger wasn't expecting the question, but he reacted instinctively. The chef laughed, shrugging off Fritz's concern with an easy smirk and a casual dismissal.

"Of course I am," he chuckled, offering Fritz some hot chocolate before he headed home. Fritz agreed to the beverage, the two falling into their usual conversation. That was the beauty of being friends with someone as fickle as Fritz; it wasn't often that a feud lasted longer than a day at most.

For the remainder of their time together, Raeger was no different than he always was, as least on the surface. He laughed, joked, and bid Fritz a proper farewell as he set off into the night. Even still, his blatant lie clung to the back of his throat, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

He slammed the front door with far more aggression than he'd intended, but hearing the loud bang resound through the empty restaurant was sickly satisfying. It wasn't like Raeger to let something bother him like this, but Fritz's disturbingly relevant question had stuck in his heart like a barb.

But are you okay with that?

"Of course I am," Raeger uttered under his breath, clomping up the stairs until his feet hurt. "I have to be."

With no one around to hear his vow, Raeger settled into bed and stared at the ceiling. He'd made his promise with conviction and purpose, but his stomach twisted uncomfortably whenever he thought about it.

He'd managed to convince Fritz, sure, but had he convinced himself?

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	2. Love Bug

**Hello everyone, welcome back to Into the Flame! This chapter is the beginning of the deviation from the original story, so from here on out expect some details to be a little different! (You know, for those of you who've read The River. Which should be all of you. Because it's good. And I'm not biased at all.)**

Chapter 2: Love Bug

The next day was as beautiful as ever while Maya worked in her fields.

It was the first day of summer, and as per protocol Maya had a lot of work to do. She had harvested all of her existing crops yesterday and shipped them out, making much more than she'd expected if she were being honest with herself. Now she needed to start a new set of plants in addition to her regular work.

As is the life of a fledgling farmer.

The heat did nothing to help her concentrate. The sun was blasting down on her head, forming little beads of sweat on the back of Maya's neck. She wasn't used to this weather- her life in the city had been hot, sure, but nothing like this. She rarely missed the city, but when faced with major changes she couldn't help but instinctively recoil.

But that had been the very point, hadn't it? Maya moved to Oak Tree on what her father called 'a whim', but that was far from the truth. Maya always loved the idea of farming, and pursuing it as a career was a decision she'd made after nearly a year of planning. She was beyond tired of living in the city, so it was about time for a major change.

Hanako mooed indignantly from her fenced in field, pawing at the ground for attention. Maya rolled her eyes, puffing her auburn hair away from her forehead. The cow was a gift to her from Eda, her elderly next-door neighbour and mentor, and Maya loved her dearly. However, she could be an insufferable diva when she didn't get her way.

"What do you want?" Maya asked, putting a hand on her hip. Hanako snorted, shaking her head back and forth. "It's not time for food yet, silly cow," Maya scolded, wiping the dirt off of her hands on her work dress. It was getting worn, and soon it would be time for her to buy something new. The thought left her feeling excited.

Maya was never a 'big city' kind of girl. Life in the concrete jungle had grown tedious, and with her parents retiring soon and planning multiple cruises a year, Maya decided that a big move just made sense.

Still, she enjoyed the odd luxury every now and again. She loved clothes, and she especially loved good food.

Food. Her stomach twisted as she was reminded of the best chef she knew, no doubt working away at his breakfast preparations in the restaurant.

Maya turned her attention back to her work. Raeger was her best friend in Oak Tree, and had been for a long time- nearly since she'd arrived. She loved him so much, but what had transpired between them the night before had been… different.

Frowning, Maya pushed the thoughts from her mind. She was already upset about her situation with Klaus- the local perfumer caught her attention immediately, with his gentlemanly demeanor and kind, mature eyes- she couldn't be bothered by Raeger as well. Not if she wanted to keep her sanity.

Hanako mooed again, reminding her to pick up the pace.

Maya huffed in response, dropping her watering can right where it was. Hanako wiggled excitedly, knowing that she'd annoyed her owner enough to get what she wanted. Maya hated giving in to her, but as high strung as the cow could be, she was also unbearably cute. Besides, Maya had plans for breakfast tea with Eda.

It was a tradition she'd kept since moving into her own farmhouse. Eda was old and getting frail, Maya couldn't bear to let the woman spend her days alone. So for as long as she'd been here, Maya made a point to have tea with Eda once she'd finished her morning chores. On this particular morning, the end of her chores would be feeding Hanako.

Maya gathered her things into her knapsack and made her way to the barn. Hanako's moos were becoming louder and more frequent as her anticipation built- it was a wonder the animal didn't pass out from excitement. Maya shook her head fondly, dumping an armload of hay into Hanako's feeding trough.

What happened next was nothing short of a tornado whipping through a small town. Hanako bounded over to the trough, swallowing her food so quickly Maya was unsure if she'd even chewed it.

"Slow down girl," she laughed, patting Hanako on her belly. The cow ignored her, scarfing down as much as she could get in her mouth.

A low grumble in Maya's stomach reminded her that she was hungry too. After cleaning her hands as best she could, Maya made her way over to Eda's farm.

It was modest, compared to most farms that Maya had seen in her life. Even more so now that Eda had given away her only cow. The physical challenges of running a farm were beginning to reflect on the old woman- she was considering selling her chickens come the Fall. Maya sighed; she worried for Eda.

And yet, without fail, whenever Maya crossed Eda's doorstep, the elderly woman had tea and biscuits ready for her young farmer friend along with a listening ear and a story or two. Today, Eda was halfway through a tale about the first cellphone Eda had ever seen- a tale that Maya had heard before- when she suddenly stopped to stare.

"What's wrong, dear?" Eda pouted, placing a beautiful blue tea cup in front of Maya. She accepted it gratefully, dropping two sugar cubes into the hot drink before answering.

"I'm just feeling a bit off today, Eda." Maya sighed, trying for a smile. "I'm sorry I'm not the best company."

"Did something happen?" Eda took her seat across from Maya, struggling to get comfortable. The chairs, while not very tall, still made it impossible for Eda's feet to touch the floor when she was fully seated in one. The older woman fidgeted until she was out of breath, finally coming to rest her forearms on the table in front of her. "Was it something with Klaus?"

Maya hesitated for only a moment, but it was more than enough time for Eda to determine that was exactly the problem.

"What happened, dear?" Eda frowned sympathetically, her voice sweet and comforting. She remembered what it was like to be young and in love, feeling hopeless and carrying the weight of the world. "Did he like your Flower Fair gift?"

"Decidedly no," Maya mumbled, staring at the swirling liquid without really seeing it. It was so easy to be honest with Eda; the old woman reminded her of her grandmother. "He kind of shrugged it off."

Eda bit her bottom lip. "Well that's odd for Klaus. He'd not typically so calloused."

"That's what I was afraid of," Maya sighed, an uncomfortable lump forming in the pit of her stomach. "But I do feel a bit better than I did yesterday. Raeger came over last night and cheered me up."

Eda's ears perked up, watching Maya very carefully as she asked her next question.

"Raeger's a nice boy," Eda agreed, nodding sagely. "You must be happy to have someone like him to lean on when things don't go your way. Do you spend much time together?"

Maya smiled to herself, taking a quick sip of her tea. "Yes, we're together almost every day. I'm not sure what I'd do without him most of the time."

Eda couldn't suppress the smirk that sprang to her wrinkled lips. Luckily Maya didn't notice, her gaze still firmly on the table in front of her.

"Ah yes," Eda smiled, stirring her tea methodically. "Always taking care of others, Raeger. He's been like that ever since he arrived here, you know."

"That doesn't surprise me," Maya laughed. As troublesome as Raeger could be, he had a huge heart. Anyone could go to him for help or guidance and he would gladly open his door to them.

"I used to worry about the poor boy," Eda shook her head, memories flooding her now. "His mother was always working, his grandfather too. No one ever seemed to have time for him. But," Eda perked up again just as quickly, her eyes crinkling with pride. "Look how he turned out. It can't have been all bad, I suppose."

Maya blinked. She never knew that about Raeger… at least, he'd never mentioned anything to her. The thought crossed her mind to ask, but before she could decide if she should the clock above the stove struck 9.

"Oh!" Maya exclaimed, jumping up from her chair. "I'm sorry Eda, I'm going to be late!"

The old woman chuckled, waving as Maya darted for the door, her bag clenched tightly in her hands.

"Don't worry so much, dear!" She called out, her voice cracking. "When you've been bitten by the Love Bug, all you can do is let things run their course!"

.

"Sorry I'm a bit short on your milk order today, Asche." Maya apologised, heaving a carton of 6 bottles of Hanako's milk onto the counter of Asche's cart. The Silk Country representative had requested 8 bottles, but with the other businesses in town also needing supplies and coming to Maya for them, she was having some trouble keeping up with demand.

"I think you need another cow," Asche laughed, accepting the crate. "I could sell you one, you know!"

Maya shook her head, patting the neck of her new horse, Cardamom.

"After getting this guy, I think I'm maxed out for a little while." She smiled, securing Cardamom's saddlebags.

Elise had, strangely, offered her the animal upon learning that Maya didn't have a horse of her own. It was an off-putting gesture, but one that Maya greatly appreciated. The horse was a dark, chestnut brown, with a black mane and white splotch on her chest that vaguely resembled a diamond.

Having Cardamom made her deliveries much easier, not having to lug her products along in her bag. It did put a strain on her finances though, as she now had to feed both Cardamom and Hanako.

Raeger had chosen her name, jokingly at first, but it had grown on Maya the more he said it.

"Well, when you feel like expanding again just come and see me!" Asche split into a lopsided grin, handing Maya a small handful of cash. Maya pocketed the money after a quick count, making her way to the entrance of the Trade Depot.

The town seemed greener somehow, changing overnight to reflect the warmer season. Nature in general was more lively and active than before, and every time she left her farm Maya found some new plant or material had manifested in the mountains.

Maya swished her dress around her legs, trying to cool herself off. The weather was far too hot to be wearing her work dress, and although it was airy in some respects, it was definitely too much for her. Yes, a shopping trip was needed very soon.

It was after the lunch rush when Maya finally made it to the restaurant.

After her visit with Eda, Maya's errands had eaten up the rest of her morning. She spent some time at the river, as she normally did, and then proceeded to town. She always left Raeger until last, not just because she usually ended up spending the most time with him.

He was in the middle of cleanup when she pushed the door open, setting off the tinkling bell above her head. Raeger turned when she entered, his concentrated frown breaking into a genuine smile as he saw her.

"Hey Love Bug," Raeger greeted with a secretive wink, balancing a respectable pile of plates in his arms as Maya entered the restaurant. She flinched instinctively, her stomach clenching as Raeger uttered the same words Eda had earlier. She gulped down her sudden unease, fixing Raeger with as normal of an expression as she could manage.

"Couldn't stay away from me for long?" He purred, dropping his armload onto the counter. Maya rolled her eyes, taking her usual seat near the kitchen. After what had transpired between them the night before, she was sure Raeger would be nearly insufferable for at least a few days.

"Not when you're paying me," She teased, nodding to the bundle of vegetables she'd dropped on the counter as she walked in. Raeger laughed, disappearing for a moment to fetch Maya a lemonade. "Did you catch up with Fritz after you left?"

At the exasperated groan that met her ears, she suspected that he had.

"He said he believed me," Raeger admitted, albeit apologetically, reappearing with a tray of eclairs and two tall glasses of clear yellow drink. "But I'm not so sure. He was pretty upset about the whole thing. I don't think he'll tell anyone though."

"Are you sure?" Maya questioned skeptically. She liked Fritz, but he wasn't exactly subtle. From the look on Raeger's face, he wasn't overly confident either.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," He shrugged, taking one of the glasses he'd brought. He sipped it slowly, enjoying the lack of customers for the time being. "Have you seen Klaus since yesterday?"

"No," Maya crossed her arms, fighting the urge to pout. Before coming to the Depot, Maya had spent a good few hours at the river. She tried to convince herself that she was gathering materials, and that was the true purpose of her loitering, but she knew that was a lie. She was waiting for Klaus, and he hadn't shown up.

"He wasn't at the river?" Raeger raised an eyebrow, guessing at her train of thought. "That's weird. He goes there every day now."

"I think I may have been closer to the mark when I said he was disappointed," Maya sighed, chewing an éclair thoughtfully. "I don't want to think he's avoiding me but… do you think he is?"

"Is who, what?"

Marian appeared seemingly out of nowhere, sporting his signature pink outfit, and stealing the éclair that Raeger was reaching for. The chef eyed the flamboyant doctor in annoyance, taking another éclair from the plate to replace his stolen one.

"Klaus, avoiding Maya." Raeger explained, ignoring the 'be quiet' sounds Maya was making at him. "What? He knows you like him."

"That's not the point," Maya was fighting a losing battle; she knew that Marian would undoubtedly find out, even if she or Raeger didn't tell him. The man had an uncanny ability for gossip, not to mention his partner in crime, Iris, would find out if he didn't. "But, now that you know, do you think he might be?"

"Probably," Marian shrugged, licking sugar from his lips. Maya blinked in surprise, genuinely not expecting a confirmation. "Klaus is a lot more delicate than he lets on. If you did something that reminded him of how attracted he is to you, he's most likely holed up at home trying not to think about it."

Maya sputtered a laugh, "Klaus isn't attracted to me."

Marian paused, raising his eyebrows at Maya.

"You don't think so?" He questioned, eying Maya for a reaction. When the young farmer shook her head, Marian began to giggle. "You really don't know him that well, then."

"Come on Marian," Maya bit her lip, squirming. "Why would Klaus ever be attracted to me?"

"Why wouldn't he be attracted to you, is a better question." Raeger asserted sincerely, smirking at her. "You're beautiful, funny, kind, and those are just the first impressions."

Maya blushed, her heart suddenly thumping.

Marian's eyes flitted between Raeger and Maya quickly, a devious glint sparking in his expression.

"You two seem… different today, if I may be so bold." He droned, lacing his fingers together in front of him. "Did something happen last night, hmm?"

Raeger choked on his drink. Maya began to sputter.

"Oh ho!" Marian burst into a hearty laugh, taking great enjoyment in the expressions on Maya and Raeger's faces. "Be still my heart, a love triangle forming just under my nose."

"It's not like that," Raeger defended, shushing them as a group of customers filed through the door. He abandoned Maya and Marian to serve the newcomers, thankful for the convenient excuse to bow out.

"Really," Maya insisted, picking up where Raeger had left off. "There's nothing between me and Raeger. We're just friends."

"You might want to tell Klaus that, Sweetie." Marian mused, stealing a sip of Raeger's lemonade. He chewed on the thought for a moment, and then amended: "Actually, maybe you shouldn't. I can't say I've ever seen him jealous. It might be entertaining."

Maya contemplated arguing again that Klaus would never be jealous because he would never be interested in her, but arguing with Marian was a task she did not have the energy for. Instead she sat quietly, munching on her snack.

Marian watched her for a little while, observing the deflated set to her posture. After a silence that lasted much longer than normal, he sighed and placed a gentle hand on Maya's shoulder.

"Are you sure that's all that's wrong, Sweetheart?" Marian prodded, arching a curved eyebrow. "Seems like maybe there's something else on your mind."

"No, no," Maya shook her head, hoping to derail the conversation before it even began. Marian's involvement was the last thing she needed… never mind how he'd somehow managed to determine something else was on her mind. "Everything's perfect, Marian. How are things at the clinic?"

Her attempt appeared to (thankfully) be successful as Marian lapsed into a stirring tale of a customer from out of town with the most attractive eyes he'd ever seen.

Maya only half-listened to the story, contributing politely where she could. Along with Raeger, Maya loved spending time with Marian, he and Corona were some of her best friends in town. But they could be quite exhausting, no matter how hard Marian tried to deny that he was anything but lovely.

"Attractive? Are you talking about me?" Raeger sang, slipping back into the conversation just as Marian began to gush again about his last patient. "Wait, of course you are. Who else would you be talking about?"

Marian snorted, stealing a sip of Maya's unfinished lemonade this time.

"You're pretty, Raeger, don't get me wrong. But you'll never catch me talking about it," Marian chuckled. "You hardly need the ego boost."

"You got that right," Maya laughed, taking her drink back. "He's insufferable enough as it is."

"You guys are mean," Raeger sighed, though amusement glittered in his eyes. "Come on, how can you not talk about this face?"

Maya was about to retort, but Marian beat her to the punch.

In the midst of the banter, a sudden buzz caught Maya's attention and she abandoned the group to check her messages. Her eyes widened in surprise, her heart thumping in her chest as she read Klaus's name on her screen.

 _Apologies for yesterday. I love the book. See you tomorrow?_

Maya smiled. It was just like him to reassure her, even when he'd done nothing wrong. She hastily opened her keyboard to reply, but her thumbs hesitated over the touch keys.

What did she want to say?

She'd never paused when asked to meet up with Klaus if she was available, but for some inexplicable reason, she found herself reluctant to commit. Maya had been looking forward to spending the next morning with Raeger at the restaurant, but she could do that any time. She should jump on this chance to spend some alone time with Klaus, shouldn't she?

Before she thought too hard about the answer, Maya told Klaus that she would be delighted to join him. Without waiting for a reply, Maya shoved her phone back into her pocket and took a steadying breath.

She hadn't done anything wrong. She'd simply made plans with her crush, that's all. So why did she suddenly feel so guilty?

Realising she'd been lost in thought for far too long, Maya returned to the company of Marian, and Raeger before she could get overwhelmed with her emotions.

"Who was that?" Marian asked, teasing her with a wink. "I bet it was Klaus!"

Raeger glanced over his shoulder at the older gentleman's name, although Marian was the only one who noticed.

"It was my dad," Maya lied with an easy smile, taking her seat again. "Nothing big, just wanted to catch up. So, what are we talking about?"

Raeger began to catch her up on the current debate, but Maya was distracted by the odd look Marian was giving her. It was an unsettling cross between suspicion and mischief, and it made her squirm uncomfortably whenever she caught his eye. It was almost as though Marian knew she'd lied about the text, or worse yet, what she'd been thinking when she sent it. But that was impossible, of course.

Wasn't it?

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	3. Huff and Puff

**Welcome back everyone!**

Chapter 3: Huff and Puff

After the third egg he'd cracked split into a warm yellow puddle, Raeger gave up.

He'd come across a new technique for frying eggs the night before and he was eager to try it out, but the method wasn't working particularly well for him. Sunny side up was always his specialty, but today he'd botched every one.

The unfinished egg slipped lifelessly into the garbage can he kept near his stovetop. Normally he'd finish them anyway, make them scrambled or turn them into an omelette, anything rather that waste product, but what was the point if there was no one here to eat with him?

Raeger clicked the stove off. Maya was usually his first visitor on his days off, so even though he had grown accustomed to eating cereal on those mornings to give himself a break, he'd taken to cooking full meals again so they could share. Today though, Maya was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't her fault, of course. She'd informed Raeger with plenty of time that she wouldn't be around until the afternoon, but he was disappointed nonetheless. The young farmer had plans to meet up with Klaus after all, and he could hardly blame her for jumping at a second chance to set things on the proper course with her love.

His mouth twisted into a frown, an uncomfortable knot forming in his stomach. Damnit, this crush on Maya was getting out of control. Raeger had never felt jealousy before, but he was most certainly feeling it now.

Maybe he should spend some time with Iris, see what-

"No," Raeger spat, fiercely shaking his head. He wouldn't go down that road again, not as long as he maintained some semblance of sanity. Iris was just beginning to come around him again after their horribly messy break up, and Raeger had finally stopped thinking about her every time he closed his eyes. If he opened that can of worms again, he may not be able to close it.

Or, maybe it wouldn't be as difficult as he thought.

It was true that Iris was Raeger's first love, and he'd convinced himself he'd never love anyone like he'd loved her. But was that true anymore? The thought of Iris used to make his stomach churn… now he barely thought about her at all, and when he did he felt… well, next to nothing.

Maybe he'd open the restaurant today after all, if he moped around all day he was sure to think far too hard about this.

Did he love Iris anymore? Did he ever love her? What about Maya? Did he love her?

Raeger was beginning to think that the answer, to the first to questions at least, was a loud and resounding 'no'.

"That may not be such a good thing," he sighed aloud, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Maya's last text to him was still flashing across the screen, the punchline to some terrible joke she'd thought of in the shower. Raeger laughed in spite of himself, his smile pained as his heart thumped.

This was bad, he decided, very bad indeed.

.

Six hours.

Klaus had been bent over his desk for nearly six hours now according to the text she'd received this morning, toiling away at several of the orders he had to fill. Summer was a busy season for perfuming, with all the fresh and diverse ingredients, and Maya suspected it wasn't easy for him to invite her to spend time at his house. She'd offered to reschedule for another day, but that suggestion had been unsuccessful.

According to his message, Klaus hadn't seen anyone all day- he'd told Iris that he was spending the day working, so she hadn't bothered to come by. Marian had a full day at the clinic, and would only be getting a break around now, so he hadn't come by either. Maya's visit would be the first, and she couldn't stop the smile that sprang to her lips at the thought.

Still, she tried not to get her hopes up. Maya had come to understand that Klaus was a gentleman through and through; his exceedingly nice gestures and sweet demeanor were nothing special that he dedicated to her, it was simply him. As sweet as he was, the situation continued to frustrate Maya. It made determining his intentions significantly harder than it needed to be.

Despite that, she couldn't ignore the flutter of her heart as she approached his door.

Her strange, unprovoked guilt from the night before had finally subsided, and a bubble of excitement erupted in its place. She was nervous too of course, but that would pass.

She hoped.

Maya was never usually so unsure of herself. She'd had a handful of boyfriends in the city, and all of them had been fun, relaxed relationships that ended on relatively good terms. She knew she was lucky for that, but it still didn't explain why she was so torn up over her feelings now. It was maddening.

Lost in thought, Maya nearly let herself into Klaus's house without knocking.

She jerked her hand back in surprise, mentally chastising herself. Maya was nervous, sure, but she wasn't usually so thoughtless. Luckily, no one had seen her slip up and she'd caught it before actually turning the knob. With a slight blush, she raised her fist and rapped lightly on the wood.

"Come in!"

The door creaked open, revealing a still very hard at work perfumer bent uncomfortably over his desk.

"Morning!" Maya chirped, easing her way into Klaus's small house. She looked different today, she knew, with a much lighter dress than she normally wore- it was a sundress that she'd dug out of the depths of her closet for a much-needed change of pace. Klaus looked her up and down with a gentle smile.

"Well, don't you look lovely," he complimented, pushing back his chair and stretching.

Maya blushed, she'd chosen this dress with him in mind. "Thank you," she murmured, taking a quick look around.

Klaus's desk was cluttered with all manner of supplies and half-finished bottles; it certainly didn't look like he was prepared for visitors. She frowned in concern, "Are you still busy?"

"I'm just finishing up here," He told her, gesturing to his desk. Maya peeked at the project in front of him but was trying to be subtle about prying. Klaus chuckled at her, giving her the impression that she'd failed miserably. "I'll be with you in a minute. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Maya flashed him a smile and nodded, shuffling over to one of the couches he kept in the main room of the house.

She'd only been inside Klaus's home a few times before. It was exactly what she would've expected his house to look like- antiqued, a little dusty, and full of interesting scents. Maya could recognise a few of them- cinnamon, mint, rose, strawberry- but many were mixed together in an amalgamation of smells that were impossible to pick apart.

On top of the obvious, Klaus also seemed to be a bit of a collector- or hoarder, as Maya had heard Marian observe a few times. His shelves were lined with a number of strange artifacts that she couldn't place; statues of foreign animals and people, vases with painted depictions of vicious battles and important events, many of which looked to be incredibly old. She made a mental note to ask about them later.

All in all, Klaus's house was small, but comfortable.

Klaus returned to his work for only a few moments, long enough to clean the ridiculous mess he'd made for himself as Maya watched. When he was engulfed in creating as he was that morning, organization rarely took a front seat, as he made very clear to her on many occasions. Maya always thought it was cute that such a refined man could be so messy.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," He announced apologetically, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. Maya noted the faint line of shadow sprouting along his chin. That was odd, he was normally so clean-shaven. Not that she particularly minded of course; it suited him. "Work kept me a bit longer than anticipated. I hope that's alright?"

"Of course," She answered easily, sliding to the other side of the couch in case he wanted to sit down. He did, though he perched far enough away from her that Maya worried she would have to yell to be heard. She suppressed a smile. "I'm just happy you invited me over. I was worried when I didn't see you at the river yesterday."

"Worried?" he quirked an eyebrow, "whatever about?"

A wave of embarrassment flooded through her, but she answered anyway.

"I thought you might be mad at me," she felt silly saying it aloud, but it was the truth. "After the Flower Fair, you seemed a little off. I thought I might've done something to upset you."

The silence following her words was deafening.

Klaus bit his bottom lip, chewing thoughtfully as her stomach dropped to the floor. When she'd asked, she hadn't actually expected him to confirm her suspicions. Maya slid her eyes away from the perfumer, staring hard at the wooden floor instead.

Marian had confirmed it, Maya had suspected it, and now Klaus was practically saying it. Somehow, the latter was the hardest to take, but Maya couldn't deny it now. She'd done something wrong by giving him that sketchbook, and now she had to deal with it.

Some date this was turning out to be.

A sudden shock of nerves made Maya squirm as the silence dragged. She wanted to be anywhere but here, their pseudo date more than ruined. The urge to run was nearly overwhelming. She was running through an extensive list of excuses when Klaus finally dispelled the quiet.

"I'm not mad at you," Klaus promised her, his voice gentle and soothing. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't been myself lately."

His tone was hesitant, as though it held double-meaning, but Maya was too upset to try and decipher it. She took a deep breath as subtly as she could, steadying herself.

He wasn't mad at her. But he hadn't denied that she'd done something to upset him either.

Knowing Klaus, he was too much of a gentleman to say it outright, but the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken words. Maya chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to collect her thoughts before replying. The urge to turn tail and run was weighty and alive, but she forced herself to stay seated.

Klaus had invited her over here to spend time with her, he wouldn't have done that simply to dismiss her and ask her to leave. Whatever she was feeling, whatever her chances with him were going forward, she could figure it out later when he wasn't sitting next to her. Maya summoned her energy, plastering a smile on her lips.

"Well that's a relief," she laughed, ignoring the aching in her heart. "I missed you this morning. It was pretty boring out there by myself."

"I would think Fritz is enough entertainment to fight even the more stubborn case of boredom," Klaus chuckled. Fritz didn't frequent the river in the same way Klaus and Maya did, but he was often passing by on particularly sunny days like this one. On the first day of Summer, he was almost definitely splashing around in the crystal-clear water. Maya giggled, her hand coming up to hide her laughter and praying she didn't sound as fake as she felt.

"Fritz can be a bit…" She paused, struggling to come up with the right word. Her mind was on a delay, as if her thoughts were moving through a thick fog.

"Annoying? Oh-!" Klaus slapped his own hand to his mouth, a blush colouring his cheeks. "I didn't mean to say that, that was rude."

But Maya's laughter had broken through her hands, "No, no, that's exactly it!" She chuckled, offering him a supportive smile and feeling a little encouraged. Even in this mood, Klaus had an ability to cheer her with the simplest of things. "My ability to handle Fritz has a daily limit. I much prefer your company."

Klaus looked as though she'd confessed to him, his wide eyes blinking in shock as a faint blush coloured his cheeks, surprising her.

Maybe she'd jumped the gun a little after all.

While a dark cloud clung to the back of her mind, Klaus had never reacted to her so openly before, and it was exciting. She didn't understand what had happened the other day, and maybe she never would, but perhaps it wasn't as terminal as she'd thought it to be only moments ago.

"Why on earth would you be happy just to see an old fool like me?" He stuttered a laugh, but his nerves shone through the cracks in his tone.

"What, you're not happy just to see a 'foolish' girl like me?" Maya teased him, though a note of genuine worry flit across her eyes. She hadn't been this blatant with her flirting before, and it almost didn't feel right. To her dismay, some of the ungrounded guilt she'd felt yesterday began to creep along her spine.

Klaus recognised her worry, placing his hand gently atop her knee and praying he wasn't overstepping, saying sincerely, "Of course I am. I always enjoy your presence, Maya."

Her expression mirrored his then, shocked at the honesty Klaus was displaying. He'd never said anything like that to her before, and while it made her heart skip, it also made her even more nervous. But, to Klaus's obvious relief, she didn't pull away from his touch.

"Then maybe we should spend some more time together," Maya smiled, struggling with the words as they left her lips. She ignored the guilt as best she could, treading carefully into this new territory. "Since we both seem to enjoy it so much."

It sounded like something she would say to Raeger, not to Klaus, and the odd sense of discomfort that she felt amplified to a wriggling anxiety. What the hell was the matter with her? Why did this feel so wrong? As she began to reel, Klaus's words tore her abruptly from her reverie.

"I'm not sure you should be saying such things."

Klaus's voice was low, barely above a whisper, and it drew Maya's attention with a start. Why was he speaking like that? Klaus's normally polite vibrato was now scratchy and almost… dangerous?

The sudden shift in demeanor made her pause- maybe she wasn't the only one feeling as though things were a little off.

"Why not?" She asked innocently, hoping to backtrack as quickly as possible. This wasn't how she'd expected the day to go- if she worked fast, maybe she could dispel the atmosphere, save their time together. Even with that thought in mind, Maya wanted desperately to leave.

Klaus raised his hand from her knee, instead placing a finger beneath her chin and tilting her head upwards to look him directly in the eye. Maya jumped- he'd never been so liberal with her before.

"Phrases like those can give some men…" His gaze drifted to her lips, making Maya's heart skip. "…ideas. If you blithely say these things to every man you meet, then someday you may very well be caught by a big... bad… wolf."

Maya's breath hitched. He'd been leaning towards her, his eyes on her mouth all the while, and it wasn't difficult to guess what he'd been thinking. His words had left him almost absently, a string of thoughts drifting from his tongue. Maya froze, her mind going completely blank.

"I…" she began, her voice trembling. His proximity unbalanced her; unease was coursing through her body, making her stomach churn. What on earth was he talking about? And why did it make her so uncomfortable? "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

All at once Klaus seemed to realise how he was acting. He dropped his hand from Maya's chin and pulled away so abruptly it nearly knocked him off balance.

"My apologies, Maya," A blush was clawing to the surface of his cheeks, but he viciously fought it down. "After a long day of work, my tongue gets far more loose than is proper. I'll have to work on that."

Maya blinked up at him, her own cheeks pinked and her eyes wide. She straightened slowly, still waiting for him to elaborate, although she was fairly sure she knew exactly what had been going through his mind.

He'd been thinking about kissing her, and it was the last thing she wanted.

"I only meant that you should take great care with your words," Klaus rambled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Luckily, I have some scruples left, but a less honourable man may not have… erm, stopped. Making such statements to young men runs the risk of stringing them along, and I would hate for you to be caught in a compromising position."

Maya listened patiently, her expression blank but her mind whirling.

"Do you understand now?" He pressed on, wanting nothing more than to erase this conversation from his memory. He suspected Maya wanted the same. "Promise me you'll try to be more careful from now on."

She nodded, fiddling with the fabric of her skirt until her knuckles turned white. "I understand, and I promise. I'm sorry too, Klaus. I didn't mean to-"

He adamantly shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. I was simply being my foolish old self. That being said, I do have a lot of work left to do. So perhaps it's time you head home."

Perhaps he was right.

Maya gathered herself as best she could, standing on wobbling knees.

"I think that's a good idea," she smiled, her lips strained. She could tell that her agreement hurt him, but she was numb to it. Every cell in her body was electrified, leaving her skin tingling in the most unpleasant of ways. "I'll… see you soon, won't I?"

Klaus nodded absently, barely paying attention to her. Maya gulped down the hard lump in her throat, taking long strides to shorten the time it took her to escape.

With the door safely shut behind her, Maya's breath rushed from her lungs in a painful whoosh. She stumbled, gripping the nearby fencepost for balance.

Klaus had nearly kissed her. And she hadn't wanted him to at all.

Her legs shaking, Maya began to walk towards town, unsure of where she was heading. This was a turn of events that she wasn't expecting, and now she didn't know what to think.

For weeks she'd been dreaming of the moment when Klaus would kiss her. It had been on her mind almost constantly, consuming her every thought while she was with him. She'd been flirting with him, leaning into the upcoming kiss with apparent enthusiasm, and when it was finally going to happen-

What, exactly, happened?

It was as though a strong flight instinct had taken over her, inducing panic that clawed at her throat. Why? After all this time, all this work, Maya finally had a chance to make a move, or at least make progress, and she'd bailed. Hard.

Tears pinpricked the backs of her eyes. What was wrong with her? She'd ruined any chance she was ever going to have of pursuing Klaus, and it was entirely her fault. Her brain felt clouded and swirled, like cotton had been shoved unceremoniously in her ears until she was filled to the brim. She certainly wasn't herself, and now she'd messed everything up.

Eda was wrong. Letting things run their course can't possibly be the way to go.

Maya wasn't sure exactly how she'd ended up at Raeger's restaurant, but the sight of the copper-haired chef standing there unleashed a faucet of emotions. Relief, anger, sadness, fear, need, everything coursed through her with reckless abandon, spilling out through her eyes in the form of massive, trembling tears.

Raeger looked up with a smile as he heard the bell chime, smiled wider when he recognized Maya, and immediately began to panic when he saw her face.

"Maya?" His expression fell into a deeply concerned frown, dropping the tray of dirty dishes he'd been carrying. In three strides he was in front of her, his palms gently gripping her arms. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Maya bit her lip, trying to quell her sobs. Customers were looking at her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Wasn't the restaurant supposed to be closed today anyway? She shook her head, unable to explain any further.

Raeger furrowed his brow, thinking as hard as he could. Was it something with her farm? Hanako? Eda? Did Marian say something? He was drawing far too many blanks, his own frustration building in his stomach-

Wait.

Maya's date with Klaus was today.

He'd been thinking about it for hours, and yet the sight of Maya's distress pushed it from his mind entirely. Maya had been with Klaus, at his invitation, and then she'd turned up at the restaurant like this.

"Did Klaus do something to you?" Raeger asked, his voice hard and quiet. He wasn't sure what emotion was tickling the back of his throat, but it wasn't pleasant. When Maya hesitated to answer, a spark of white-hot anger exploded behind his eyes.

"It's fine," Maya hiccupped, feeling the sudden tensing in Raeger's grip. "He didn't... it's not like that."

Her words calmed Raeger's racing heart, but only enough to keep him firmly in the restaurant. Without realising it, he'd had every intention of marching over to the perfumer's house and- and- well he wasn't sure exactly what he was planning to do but-

"Please."

Maya's whimper met his ears, and Raeger returned his eyes to hers. She was silently pleading with him- don't ask, don't try to fix it, just make the pain go away. Her sparkling eyes wavered, and he knew he couldn't leave her. Not even to stand up for her.

Raeger pulled Maya into his arms, holding her as she cried out her frustrations. He wasn't sure what had happened, but for now it didn't matter. Realising they were still in full view of the restaurant guests, Raeger guided Maya gently to the stairwell and embraced her as tightly as he dared, rubbing soothing circles on her back with his palm.

"It's okay," he whispered, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Maya's fingers twisted in Raeger's shirt, crying as hard as she could without making a sound. "I'm right here Love Bug, you're gonna be okay."

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	4. Mess with Me

**Hello everyone! Welcome back!**

Chapter 4: Mess with Me

"Can you text Maya around 3 o'clock this afternoon?"

Klaus looked up from his desk, abruptly losing his concentration at the sound of Marian's grumbling voice.

"I'd rather not," he ventured slowly, furrowing his brow in confusion. Images of their interaction the day before rushed him in a wave of uncomfortable emotions. "Although may I ask why?"

"I think she's lying to me." Marian pouted, fiddling with a flower on Klaus's desk. He hadn't noticed the sudden paling of Klaus's cheeks, too busy thinking about the reasoning behind his request. The new farmer had been acting increasingly odd as of late, and Marian was determined to get to the bottom of things. It wasn't his business of course, but that hardly mattered.

Klaus suppressed a bitter laugh. The thought of sweet, innocent little Maya being anything but honest struck him as a delightful joke. "What makes you think that?"

"When you texted her last week after the Flower Fair," Marian mumbled, reflecting, "she told us it was a message from her father. I'm wondering why she said that."

Klaus frowned, a shudder rippling down his spine at the thought of being compared to the father of the girl he liked, even by association. Not that it mattered anymore, after the stunt he'd pulled yesterday.

He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking. It was true what he'd said; after working for so many hours in a row, Klaus found it difficult to police himself on the best of days. Still, he'd never been so brazen as to make a woman physically uncomfortable before, and he wanted nothing more than to formally apologize. On the other hand, he was sure Maya wanted nothing more to do with him. It was disheartening to say the least.

He chose not to offer a solution, instead letting Marian dwell on the issue while he returned to his latest project. He was leaving for the city very soon and hated having work unfinished on his desk.

It hardly mattered; Marian was happy for the silence, lost in his own thoughts on the issue.

Maya liked Klaus, that much he was sure of. And Klaus liked Maya, _that_ much he was sure of, so why would she lie about his text? They all knew about her crush, and she knew that they all knew about her crush, so what gives? Marian chewed his lip. Unless there was someone in the room that Maya wanted to keep in the dark about her correspondence, for whatever reason.

Something clicked in Marian's head. A soft click, nothing concrete, but a knowing smirk found its way to his lips.

"Actually, make that 4." Marian corrected, knowing that Raeger would be joining them around that time for his break before the supper rush. Apparently, he'd chosen to ignore Klaus's refusal of his request.

He wasn't positive, but Marian was beginning to suspect that the cute little farmer's heart was starting to split itself down the middle.

Things were finally getting interesting in Oak Tree Town.

.

 _Good morning my beautiful love ;)_

It was a simple thing, a morning text message from a friend, and far from the first of its kind, but on this particular morning Maya couldn't stop staring at her screen.

Raeger had followed the text with an apology, claiming he couldn't meet up with her as early as they'd planned; he had a last-minute brunch reservation for a party of seven. Maya didn't mind at all, she'd been enjoying the unexpected time to herself at the river, without Klaus.

After she'd spent herself crying yesterday, she'd managed to explain to Raeger what had happened. He was angry, as she'd expected, but he calmed quickly at her urging. He invited her to spend the rest of her day at the restaurant with him, and she'd gladly agreed, losing herself in whatever busy work she could find to take her mind off things.

Ever since, he'd been more attentive than normal. She'd received many texts from him throughout the evening and into the night, checking up on her and telling her as many ridiculous jokes he could come up with, each one making her smile. Raeger was a good friend, one that she was happy to have by her side.

Still, after the third rereading of Raeger's first message of the day, Maya's stomach was flipping. She caught herself smiling while she was tending to the animals, while she was watering her crops, and while she made her way down the mountain path towards town. If she didn't know any better, she'd say she was smitten.

But that just couldn't be.

Even as she thought it, the same sense of 'wrong' that she'd felt when flirting with Klaus took root in her stomach. She'd told herself before that Raeger was off the table, but… why, exactly?

Maya shook her head adamantly. They'd been through this already. The kiss they'd shared was proof that they didn't belong together- it didn't work, and it would never work. Maya knew that. Or at least, she thought she did.

For the first time since it'd happened, Maya let herself think about the kiss. Raeger was an amazing kisser, although she already suspected that. His lips were soft and warm, his touch gentle, his movements slow and sensual, and yet he commanded the kiss with a dizzying dominance that made her blush even thinking about it.

So, what had gone wrong?

Maya thought back, and the answer came to her quicker than she'd have liked.

Iris and Klaus, the whole reason for the kiss in the first place. How had she forgotten? The glaringly obvious reason Maya and Raeger would never work out- he was in love with another woman. At the time, that wasn't a problem. But after yesterday, Maya wasn't so sure she was in the same boat.

She thought about Klaus. He'd texted her early this morning as well, apologizing profusely for his inappropriate behaviour, but strangely Maya didn't care. She accepted his apology, and… well, that was it.

When did things get so complicated?

Maya suppressed a heavy sigh, forcing her mind back to the present where she was looking for flowers to forage for Asche. It didn't take her long to find, Blue Magic Flowers were in season, and the little royal buds were peppering the river bed in abundance. She found a patch that were mostly fully grown, realizing with annoyance that she forgot her cutters.

"What is wrong with me today?" She lamented, pulling her phone out of her dress pocket. Raeger's message was still open, and it was the first thing to greet her after she activated her screen.

 _Good morning my beautiful love ;)_

It was teasing, and sweet, and it made her smile. But now she began to wonder… could it someday be more than that?

Maya groaned, yanking a blue flower from the ground with much greater force than she'd intended.

She was thinking about this too much, that was obvious.

Indecision was never a strong suit of hers. There was every possibility that these budding feelings were a passing notion- once things settled down, her crush on Raeger would go away and she'd be back to pursuing Klaus with just as much determination as before, if she hadn't already broken it beyond repair. The more she moped about the chef, the more work she'd have to do later to convince Klaus that he'd been wrong, that she'd been wrong to push him away. If she was. If he was. If-

" _Stop,_ Maya!"

She huffed, picking away at the patch. Maya would simply have to wait out this damned blossoming infatuation and ignore it in the meantime.

That's exactly what it was, if it was anything at all, wasn't it? An infatuation.

It was all that kiss, Maya decided. She couldn't deny the physical attraction she felt for him. Hell, even Marian acknowledged that Raeger was handsome. Throw on top of that how close they already were, and it was only natural that she'd feel a pull towards him. Given some time, the allure would pass, and all of this confusion would be over once and for all.

Maya crawled deeper into the thick flower patch, taking a moment to catch her breath. The summer sun was relentless today, and she could already feel her skin missing the cool water at the river bed as she began to methodically pick away.

.

Raeger took a deep, steadying breath of fresh air.

The brunch that he'd booked was finally served and happy, chatting amongst themselves as they picked at the remainder of their food. He enjoyed catering to large groups- it brought in amazing business for the restaurant- but it was tiring. After ensuring that each guest had everything they needed, Raeger stepped outside to collect himself.

The day was bright and sunny, exactly what Oak Tree needed in the beginning stages of Summer. Raeger wasn't particularly outdoorsy as some of the townsfolk were, but he loved the sun. He missed it when it rained, and in the Winter, he longed for it. Too bad he had to spend most of his day in his kitchen, away from the windows.

"Good morning Klaus!"

Veronica's voice caught Raeger's ear, calling out to the perfumer as he wandered past Otmar's shop. Raeger felt an immediate surge of anger as he watched the older man smile and greet the Guild Master with polite enthusiasm.

How fucking dare he.

Raeger had never seen Maya so upset. The sight had put the fear of Goddess in him, any number of terrible scenarios running through his mind once he'd realised that Klaus was involved. His first thought had been the worst, the possibility of Klaus forcing himself on Maya igniting a raging inferno of fury in Raeger's heart.

After he'd calmed down, he realised that Klaus would likely never do something like that. Still, the sight of the perfumer casually going about his day set Raeger's teeth on edge. He suspected Maya would like to avoid him as well, so he pulled out his phone with the intention of warning her.

"That's odd," Raeger frowned, glancing at the time displayed on his screen. Maya had responded to his apologies by informing him that she would be at the river all morning, and it was now nearly one o'clock.

A tickle of unease crept down Raeger's back, but he pushed it aside. He was being foolish. Maya always did have a tendency to lose track of time. He was overthinking things, that's all.

Even with that thought clasped firmly in the front of his mind, Raeger pulled out his phone and texted Maya to see what time she would be over. He waited a breath, then two, then three, and shoved his phone back into his pocket in frustration.

Maya was generally a quick texter but depending on what she was doing it could take her hours to respond. Raeger knew that, and yet her silence made him worry all the more. Now he was surely being ridiculous, but he couldn't squash the thought that she might need him.

"Stop it, Raeger," he chastised, biting his bottom lip. Maya was fine. She was definitely, totally fine. His worry was residual, a by-product of the deep fear he'd felt upon seeing her yesterday. That must be it.

But…

Before the thought had fully formed, Raeger stuck his head inside the restaurant to inform his guests that he would be back in a short while. They'd already settled their bill, so they were free to mingle until he returned. He wouldn't be going far, after all, just past the piedmont.

If Maya was alright, and Raeger was sure that she was, then he was being silly. But it wouldn't hurt to go and check. He could deal with the bit of teasing Maya would undoubtedly dole out if it meant he could put his worries to rest.

Quickening his step, Raeger set off towards the river.

.

"Hey, Maya!"

A sharp, cheery cry caught Maya's attention as she plucked the last of the fully bloomed flowers from the ground. She had almost enough now, short only one or two, and her knees and hands were aching from the effort she'd spent.

Maya looked up from her work only to be blinded by a mop of fiery red hair, loping towards her from the bridge.

"Hey Fritz," she smiled, brushing the dirt from her skirts. She tried her best to hide the disappointment in her voice; Fritz was nice enough, but she was a bit tired to be dealing with the rambunctious farmer today, but that was hardly Fritz's fault. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" Fritz grinned, revealing a chipped tooth to her. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

In a sense, he was right. Maya and Fritz hadn't seen each other much, not since the infamous kissing incident he'd walked in on. She didn't particularly mind all that much; Fritz was exhausting to be around.

"I've been really busy, I guess," she shrugged, jerking her chin to the growing pile of flowers she was collecting. With any luck, Fritz would take the hint and leave her to her work. "Gotta keep up with everyone else, you know?"

"I hear you've been spending a lot of time with Raeger," Fritz pushed, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Maya inwardly groaned. She knew she was hoping for a miracle by expecting Fritz not to make any jokes. "Don't tell me you've been avoiding me to be with him, have you?"

Maybe she should've went straight into town after all.

"We are very good friends," she agreed, putting as much emphasis on the word 'friends' as she could manage without sounding painfully obvious. Hadn't she just had this debate with herself? "He's helped me a lot since I moved."

"Do you make out with all of your friends?" Fritz chuckled, his amusement growing with the blush on Maya's cheeks.

There it was, the inevitable teasing had begun.

"I thought Raeger talked to you about that," Maya grumbled, returning her attention to the wildflowers. She already picked the last ones, but she busied herself with the weeds surrounding them anyway.

"He did," Fritz mused, picking some dirt from beneath his nails. Maya glanced at him from the corner of her eye; from the looks of it, Fritz had never cleaned his nails before now. She looked away again. "Not sure if I believe him though."

"Well you should," Maya insisted, delivering the words with conviction. "But even if you don't, you said you'd keep it quiet right?"

The pause that followed her question made Maya tense. She'd learned from Raeger not to rush Fritz, but the longer he stalled the more anxious she became. Eventually, she couldn't focus on the flowers anymore, instead staring up at him from her perch on the ground.

"I'll keep it quiet…" Fritz trailed, a blink of mischief shining in his irises. "In exchange for a kiss!"

Maya blanched, standing abruptly.

"You must be joking," she furrowed her brows, facing him to better gauge his expression. He laughed but held his sly grin.

"Nope!" He sang, bouncing on his heels. Maya resisted the urge to sigh- this was the last thing she wanted to deal with today. Now she knew she should've gone straight into town. "I want you to kiss me."

"I'm not going to kiss you Fritz, really." Maya huffed, trying to keep her temper in check. Fritz could be irritating at times, but his ignorance to some boundaries had a tendency to set her teeth on edge. "Can you please just not tell anyone?"

"If you kiss me!" Fritz giggled again, grabbing Maya's arm and pulling her towards him. Maya yelped in surprise, catching her footing and hauling herself free of his grasp. Her panic only made Fritz laugh more, delighted by his successful prank.

"Fritz, stop it," Maya frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "That isn't funny."

"I think it's funny!" Fritz teased, still bent forward at the hips. Maya took another step back, distrustful of his temporary cooperation- if that's what she could call it. "Come on Maya, you seem like you'd be a good kisser! And I am too, promise!"

"Fritz!" Maya snapped, her cheeks flushing red. She could feel her stomach twisting in distaste the longer he spoke. After what had happened with Klaus yesterday… she wasn't sure she could take much more. "I'm serious! I'm not going to kiss you."

"Why not?" Fritz whined, stamping his foot into the ground like a toddler. Maya tightened her fists until her knuckles whitened. "That's really not fair you know."

"A kiss with someone should mean something," Maya defended, trying again to reason with his joke. Fritz had a tendency to take things too far; now it was only a matter of making him realise it. "I can't just go around kissing everybody whenever they ask me to!"

"At least a kiss with me would mean more than a kiss with Raeger," Fritz laughed, his scarf falling loose from his neck. "Raeger will kiss just about anyone."

The unexpected words hit Maya like a slap to the face. She blinked in surprise pain, her heart clenching in her chest.

Why did that hurt so much?

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Maya agreed, trying for a dismissive smile. Her mother always told her that bad things came in threes. After Klaus and Fritz, what else would she be dealing with today?

"I mean, he's kissed so many people already!" Fritz continued, poking fun at his good friend. He barely noticed Maya's paling expression. "Pretty much every girl in town now, including you."

Tears rolled down Maya's cheeks before she could even think about stopping them. She was still feeling off by the events of yesterday, so it was only natural that she'd get upset, but crying? Again? That wasn't like her, and the realisation only made her angry. Summer was shaping up to be a pitiful month.

"I've only kissed two, so I'm nowhere close to Raeger. But I'm still pretty good, I think!"

She didn't need to deal with this today. Maya was angry, tired, and emotionally spent, wasn't that enough?

Raeger didn't care about her, not in that way. She knew that. She always knew that. And she wasn't entirely sure she cared about him in that way either, so then why did Fritz's words fill her with so much sadness?

"Maya?" Fritz's voice pulled her from her thoughts. Her nose and eyes were red with sorrow, and the rambunctious farmer had finally noticed. "Are you okay? What did I say?"

Maya shook her head, wiping her tears away viciously. She couldn't cry anymore, not now. There was nothing to cry over. If she said that enough, she could convince herself it was true.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, shuffling his feet. Fritz reached for her, hoping to comfort her in some way, but his hand was stopped before it made contact.

"Huh?"

Fritz turned to see Raeger, his hand clamped around Fritz's wrist, stopping him from coming any closer to Maya.

"What's going on here?" Raeger snapped, his voice a mingling of confusion and protective anger. Maya turned to him in surprise, blinking away the remainder of her unshed tears.

"I-I'm sorry!" Fritz stammered, panic still bright in his eyes. "I was just teasing! I didn't mean to hurt her feelings!"

Raeger held his glare, trying to form the right words. He was angry- far angrier than he expected he'd be. When he'd seen Fritz leaning into Maya like that- while tears stained her cheeks- well, even the thought made his stomach twist.

"It's fine, Fritz." Maya interrupted, placing her hand gently on Raeger's arm. He felt himself relax a little at her touch. The red-haired farmer looked frantically between the two of them, not sure what he should do.

"Go home, okay?" He told Fritz, sternly but trying not to sound harsh. Fritz nodded, scurrying down the hill without further prompting. He wasn't sure what he did, but he wanted to get away from Maya as quickly as he possibly could.

As Fritz took off, Raeger released a long, steadying breath. He braced himself and turned to Maya, his heart thudding as he took in her tired expression. His stomach twisted tighter, his fingers twitching.

"Are you okay?" Raeger asked gently, reaching to wipe the dampness away from Maya's face with his thumb. The warm summer breeze brushed against her cheek, following Raeger's fingers. His touch was so kind, as he always was.

"I'm fine," she promised, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Don't apologize," Raeger chuckled, brushing her hair from her face and tucking it securely behind her ear. "Whatever happened, I'm sure it was Fritz's fault."

Maya laughed, feeling some of the weight lift from her shoulders.

"He wanted me to kiss him," she explained, rolling her eyes to soften her words. "He was joking, but… I think after what happened with Klaus yesterday it just touched a nerve."

"Man," Raeger shook his head, glancing over his shoulder towards where Fritz had taken off. "You're popular lately. Maybe I should stick around you more, clearly you need a bodyguard."

"If you stick around me any more than you already do, people will start to think we're married," Maya laughed, warmed by the banter. "Besides, you've already kissed me. These guys are just trying to get on our level of friendship."

It was Raeger's turn to laugh now, a loud, unexpected laugh.

"You have a point," he chuckled, slinging his arm comfortably over Maya's shoulders. "But since attempting to kiss you seems to be a trend now, I could always try for a round two."

Maya shoved him, much to Raeger's amusement.

"Hey," he started, squeezing her gently. Maya felt her heart flutter at the sudden seriousness in his tone. "I know Fritz can be a colossal douche sometimes, but he didn't mean any harm. I promise."

Intentional harm or otherwise, Raeger would be having words with Fritz later when Maya wasn't around. After the conversation they'd had the other night, Raeger was less than amused at this little stunt. Before she noticed, he took a deep breath and pushed his annoyance aside.

"No, I know," Maya smiled. "I'm just… not myself today."

Raeger looked like he wanted to question her about that, but he bit his tongue. He knew what it was like, wanting desperately to keep thoughts to yourself.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around Maya and held her tightly to his chest. Maya was startled, but she sank into his embrace happily. She hadn't realised how much she missed his warmth until she was engulfed in it again, Raeger's heart beating soothingly against her ear, the scent of his cologne surrounding her; it alighted the butterflies in her stomach. Maya nuzzled his chest, wrapping her arms around him in kind.

"What are you doing here?" She asked suddenly, realising that he should be at the restaurant. Raeger laughed a little, squeezing her.

"You're going to think this is stupid as hell," Raeger admitted reluctantly, trying to avoid looking at her. She'd rarely seen him embarrassed before, and Maya couldn't supress her giggle. "I had a feeling something was up, so I was on my way to check on you."

She had no idea how Raeger had known she needed him, hell she didn't even know she did, but somehow, he had been there for her as he always seemed to be.

Fritz's words repeated in her mind, but she pushed them away fiercely. Raeger cared about her, she meant something to him, even if it wasn't exactly what she wanted. Whatever that might be. That would simply have to do for now.

"I'm thinking about trying out some new recipes tonight," Raeger exclaimed suddenly, his cheek on the top of her head. Maya tilted her neck to look at him. "Do you want to join me? I'll let you eat all the failed ones."

Maya scrunched her nose.

"The last time you made me eat a failed dish, I threw up." She grumbled, remembering the disgustingly strong taste of trout and oregano. Raeger erupted in laughter, squeezing her.

"Alright, I guess you can try the good ones," he conceded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But I expect something in return for my generosity…"

Maya raised an eyebrow at him, breaking their embrace at last.

"How about I let you walk out of the kitchen with both legs in tact?" She grinned at Raeger's crestfallen expression. "Thank you," she added softly. Raeger didn't say anything, but his answering smile said all it needed to.

"Come on," he insisted, changing their direction to the path that would lead them back into town. "It's going to get windy soon. We should get inside."

 **So, just to be clear, I don't dislike Fritz, and he genuinely wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I just think he's the most likely character in the game to have this sort of interaction with Maya!**

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	5. Order Up

**Hello again friends! I hope you're enjoying the story. Every single view, follow, favourite, review, what have you, means the world to me and I appreciate all of you so much!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: Order Up

"You're working for Raeger?"

Corona struggled to balance the armloads of groceries she was carrying as she and Maya made their way out of the Trade Depot. It was a busy morning for the vendors, particularly Asche as she'd just gotten some new stock in. Maya loved seeing the Trade Depot bustling with activity; it reminded her of why she was doing this at all.

"Just for today," she explained, catching a tomato as it rolled free of Corona's paper bags. "I'm more helping him out than anything."

Corona snorted, eying Maya with disbelief.

"You're telling me Raeger asked for help? _Raeger?_ Not a chance."

Maya laughed, conceding the point to her friend. Raeger was nothing if not stubborn, even a little proud in his work. He wouldn't ask for help unless he had absolutely no other option, and sometimes not even then.

"He invited me to help out so he could 'keep an eye on me'," Maya sighed, though her lips twitched with a smile. As Maya was leaving the restaurant the night before, Raeger asked her to run the counter for him after she was finished with her farm chores. He'd made a joke about the recent events with Fritz and Klaus, citing the fact that he could barely let Maya out of his sight without her getting in some sort of trouble. She'd protested, but after some gentle prodding agreed to his suggestion. It seemed to her like Raeger was a little more worried about her than he was openly admitting.

"That makes more sense," Corona nodded, reaching in her dress pocket for her keys. The first order of business for the day had been to stop by the Trade Depot for some things that Raeger ran out of, and Maya had bumped into Corona on her way. The restaurant wouldn't be open for another hour or so, so she offered to help her friend in the meantime. "Raeger is such a sweetheart. It doesn't surprise me that he was worried about you."

"He's the best," Maya agreed, holding the door for Corona. "But he worries too much sometimes. The last few days have been hard, sure, but it's not worth stressing him over."

Corona laughed, unceremoniously dumping her bags on the counter.

"Raeger will worry about you as long as you keep him around," she pointed out, contemplating where to start putting things away. "And rightfully so. I'm still considering having some words with Klaus about the other day."

Maya told Corona about the incident after she'd left Raeger's, and as expected the young woman was furious with her old friend. It was strange, of course; he'd never acted like that before, at least not that Corona could remember. Still, with how protective she knew the chef could be, it was no surprise to her that he'd been hovering over Maya ever since.

"I wish you wouldn't," Maya frowned, separating her bags from Corona's. "It really wasn't a big deal. I'd prefer if everyone just stopped talking about it."

Corona sighed. "If that's really what you want, I'll keep my mouth shut. But I'm not happy with him, and one way or another he's going to know it."

Maya shook her head but dropped the conversation. She wasn't keen on continuing down this particular path of discussion. The amount of concern shown to her by her friends touched her, but Maya didn't want to deal with the potential escalation that would follow any one of them intervening.

"I hate to run so soon," Maya frowned, looking at all of the work Corona still had to do to get her kitchen organized, "but Raeger will be expecting me back. I don't really want to give him another reason to hover."

Corona laughed, ushering her out the door with a dismissive wave.

"You're probably right," she grinned, "you'd better get going."

.

"We have a really great pineapple ice cream today, made in house!"

Maya's cheery voice ignited curiosity in the potential guests standing before her. An older couple, summoned to Oak Tree by rumours of the bustling Trade Depot, who'd stopped at the local restaurant for an early afternoon snack. They'd been staring at the menu for nearly 15 minutes, and Maya was worried about the quickly lengthening line.

She didn't need to sell to the locals. Raeger's cooking was well known and respected around town, so whenever Maya spotted a familiar face she didn't bother with the welcoming speech. Agate was sitting at the bar, sipping on a glass if iced coconut milk. Fritz was in the corner, munching on nachos and bothering the table next to him with mindless chatter. Angela had just finished her salad, cleaning up her table in spite of Raeger's protests. Each and every one of them had walked in, greeted Maya, placed their order without glancing at the menu, and waited patiently for their food. Tourists were not quite so simple.

"I'm not sure…" the older woman hummed, her wrinkled face collapsing in on itself as she scrunched her nose. "Do I like pineapple, Walter?"

"You've only been eating it for 34 years, Helen." Her husband grumbled just loudly enough for her to hear, blush, and order the ice cream.

"Anything for you sir?" Maya beamed, her 'customer service face' plastered firmly in place. Back in the city she'd worked with the public nearly every day, and she'd mastered the art of being polite to a fault.

"Pancakes." Walter grunted, dropping a handful of cash onto the counter. Maya counted as she gathered it into her palm, gave him his change, and directed them to a table near the window.

"Bravo, Maya!"

As the elderly couple drifted away, a familiar face came into view behind them. Iris smirked at her, rolling her eyes at Walter and Helen as they complained amongst themselves about various décor choices Raeger had made.

"I'll never understand people who work in the service industry," she sighed, resting her elbows on the counter. The line behind her wasn't quite as long as Maya feared, so after she took Iris's order, she flew threw the rest as quickly and efficiently as she could.

Once they were alone, Iris shook her head.

"Seriously," she continued, glancing around the room. "This looks exhausting. Having to be polite and smile all the time? I have enough of that at those horrible functions Klaus drags me to."

A hint of panicked guilt flickered across Iris's eyes as she realised what she'd said.

"I can only imagine," Maya laughed, ignoring the beat of awkward silence. "Klaus told me they can last for hours. I'm only doing this for the day, I would hate for it to be a regular thing."

Maya knew Klaus often brought Iris to the various galas and functions he was required to attend. He had to sell his work, after all, and Iris was a talented author, but talent was never enough in a fluctuating industry. She had to make a name for herself as often as she could manage, and meeting with hordes of important people on the arm of a world-renowned perfumer was certainly an effective way to accomplish that.

"It's not really that bad," Iris conceded, thinking to all of the elegant gowns she had frequent opportunity to wear, "but it can be exhausting. Luckily Klaus makes great company. Oh-!"

Another slip. Iris began to wonder if she'd skipped her coffee this morning.

"It's okay," Maya smiled, feeling the strain in it. Even Iris knew about Maya's feelings for Klaus, but that didn't mean she should have to police herself around her. "He's your friend, you're allowed to talk about him."

Iris hesitated for just a beat, but it was long enough for Maya to guess what was coming next.

"You're very kind Maya but-" Iris paused, confirming Maya's suspicions. She busied herself with the cash register while she waited for the inevitable. "I heard about what happened the other day. I wanted to bring it up so I could check on you, I just didn't know how. Apparently, I decided on the worst possible way."

"I'm fine, Iris," Maya assured her, picking at a spot on her nail that had hooked into the fabric of her shirt. "Really."

And she was. Maya had been upset, about many things, but after a good night's rest she found herself feeling much better about the situation. A full day of hard, enjoyable work was just solidifying her recovery.

"I'm not sure what got into him," Iris continued, feeling a sudden burst of determination. "He can be absolutely imbecilic when he sets his mind to it."

Maya laughed, surprising Iris with the genuine sound.

"You've got that right," she agreed, smiling brightly. "That seems to be a common problem with the men in this town."

Her comment was directed at Raeger, who'd just emerged from the kitchen and was making his rounds with an impossible stack of plates.

It was Iris's turn to laugh, shaking her head at Maya's sense of humour. "Tell me about it."

Silence fell as the girls watched Raeger work, both with fond smiles on their faces.

"You know," Iris began, choosing her words lightly, "he has such a big heart. That's what I loved about him; he's kind, and funny, and he can be so wonderfully devoted. It's such a shame that he's incapable of fully trusting his heart to someone."

Maya swallowed. No matter what Raeger said, it wasn't hard to believe that Iris still loved him. As mad as she'd been, as hurt as she'd been, as extravagant as their fallout had been, when Iris spoke about Raeger with that wistful look in her eye, it seemed that some part of her still clung to the feelings she'd held for the copper haired chef so long ago. The thought made Maya's nose sting.

It wasn't the first time Maya had heard Iris say things like this about Raeger, but it was the first time that hearing it bothered her.

"He came pretty close with you, from what I hear," Maya tried to smile, to make her words sound light and airy, but she feared that she failed.

Iris didn't seem to notice, snorting with a wry grin.

"Close but no cigar," she sighed, pulling her attention back to Maya who'd begun sorting receipts to keep her hands busy. "My relationship with Raeger went down in a fiery blaze of glory, and I think everyone agrees it was for the best."

For the best.

Maya wanted to believe that.

Something about Iris and Raeger always struck a painful chord in her. Even before everything had happened, before she'd started to consider the… possibilities, Maya had nearly laughed out loud when Raeger told her about Iris. The two fit together like oil and water, complete and utter opposites.

But then again, maybe that was the point.

Before she could think too hard on it, Iris interrupted her with a gasp.

"What on earth are you doing?" She exclaimed in horror, snatching the stack of papers sitting in front of Maya. The young farmer started, fumbling her pen and nearly losing it to the floor.

"I'm making a transaction record," Maya answered honestly, her eyebrows twisting in confusion. "So Raeger can tally the sales later. Is that weird?"

Iris huffed. "It's only weird that he's making you do it on paper. The cash register automatically sorts through all of this stuff; you just have to print it at the end of the day. Didn't Raeger tell you that?"

Maya groaned, shaking her head in defeat.

"No, he didn't tell me that. But to be fair, he didn't ask me to do this either. This is how I keep track of my own numbers." Maya snuck a glance at Raeger as he bid farewell to another table. "But he still didn't mention that."

Iris rolled her eyes. "That sounds like him, alright. So smart, but so cutely absentminded." A pause, long enough for Maya to nod in agreement. "What a terrible friend he is, forcing you to endure this torture."

"He's the absolute worst," Maya said with a smirk.

"I can hear you, you know!"

Maya ducked quickly as a dish towel flew past her head, narrowly nicking her ear.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing the side of her face and swatting at Raeger with her free hand. "Rude! I'm helping you today, you know!"

Raeger laughed, sidling up next to Maya and wrapping his arm tightly around her in a playful embrace. He'd left her alone for most of the day so far; apparently, he'd reached his limit of behaving himself.

"You're right, Love Bug, I'm sorry. Kiss and make-up?" He puckered obnoxiously, earning more swats and protests from Maya.

"You haven't changed a bit," Iris smiled, observing their exchange with a glint of surprise in her eye. "Still hellbent on harassing every attractive woman you meet. I'm shocked you haven't scared them all off yet."

Maya felt Raeger's arm stiffen around her, and her gaze found the side of his face. His expression was normal, if a little playful, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something lurked beneath the surface of his eyes that she couldn't quite see.

"Oh, hey Iris," Raeger grinned, plastering his usual smile across his face. "Distracting my employees, are you?"

"Employee?" Maya repeated in mock-outrage. "I will accept 'partner', and nothing less."

Raeger wiggled his eyebrows seductively. "Is that a proposal, my dearest?"

"I'm simply having a lovely conversation with my friend," Iris retorted, folding her hands delicately in her lap and ignoring her ex's antics. At least, on the surface. Her surprise had grown into suspicion, and now she wanted to do a quick test. "Is that allowed, Chef?"

Now Raeger did stiffen, visibly, and Iris thought for just a moment that she'd made a mistake. Raeger paused, barely enough time to notice had she not been paying attention, before he slipped back into himself.

"As long as you're not trying to corrupt her," he laughed, hugging Maya close to his chest. "She has a very delicate disposition, you know."

Iris smiled. Apparently, she hadn't made a mistake after all.

"Oh, go back to work already!" Maya huffed, pushing him. Raeger relented with a devilish smirk, raising his hands in surrender as he walked away.

Maya smoothed her clothes as Raeger disappeared, shooting annoyed glares in his general direction.

"He's like a child sometimes," she shook her head, fighting the smile that was making her cheeks hurt. "I can't imagine how you dealt with that all the time."

Iris's lips pursed in amusement, her disposition suddenly wistful and secretive all at once.

"He was never like that with me," she confessed, deliberately avoiding Maya's face to encourage an honest reaction, "I've only ever seen him conduct himself that foolishly with you and you alone."

A quick peek at Maya's blinking expression told her that her plan had worked out just fine, and it was exactly the reaction she'd been hoping to see.

Most of the restaurant guests were finishing their meals, and Iris suddenly felt like she should take her leave. Maya had yet to respond to her little revelation, and that was perfectly fine. With a fake yawn, Iris pushed herself away from the bar.

"I should get going, I suppose." She lamented, giving a polite wave as the warm summer air hit her pale skin.

Maya watched her leave without saying goodbye, still struggling to process what the older woman had just let slip to her.

.

The town was alive despite the lazy sun, and Iris made her way to her favourite bench in her favourite garden to partake in her favourite sport: people watching.

Notebook in hand, Iris was prepared for anything. Words, at least spoken words, were never her strong suit. She could speak publicly, of course, but sentiments of the intimate variety had a tendency to escape her at the best of times. Writing was simple; a little hard work and some creative lies would have people swarming to their nearest bookstore to eat up your work.

And that's what writing is, isn't it? Lying.

That was something Iris was good at. Lying. She'd done it her whole life, whether on paper or to those she felt had gotten too close to her. Creating distance. That's all she ever did.

People often asked her why she wasn't committed to someone, and while she would never admit it, the reason was as simple as: she couldn't.

Raeger had gotten too close to her. She loved his spunk, his spontaneity, his kindness, his smile, everything about Raeger reminded her of the sun. Iris needed a sun, to pull her from the dark recesses of her life, the recesses that she kept hidden.

Iris had needed Raeger to pull her from the darkness she'd been trapped in with Klaus.

Even thinking about it, Iris almost laughed. Clearly, she and Maya had a lot in common- they were both in love with the same men.

Men? Yes, men. Iris was almost positive of that now.

Iris was in love with Klaus. Was still in love with Klaus. She had been for many years now, and apart from the brief romance she shared with Raeger, that fact had never changed. Had she ever told him? No, of course not. She didn't know how.

And so, she lied. To herself, to Klaus, and to Raeger.

When Raeger asked Iris on a date, she'd thought about declining. She'd just returned from a gala with Klaus, another painful night of denying their relationship, and she was ready to throw in the towel altogether. Forget about love, forget about Klaus, just be her. Be Iris.

But then Raeger came by with his stupidly genuine smile and sparkling green eyes, and Iris couldn't refuse him.

She thought it would work, for a time. Iris thought she was in love with him, and Raeger thought the same. And yet, despite how happy she thought she was, there was always something that bothered her.

What about Klaus?

"Shoo!"

Iris jumped in sudden fear as a flock of birds took flight around her, chased impressively by Margot wielding a broom like a weapon of war.

A quick scribble. She would use that description later.

When Maya moved to town, and when she began to show interest in Klaus, Iris was heartbroken. The farmer was young, attractive, and full of life, everything wonderful that would surely attract the perfumer with very little effort. But what right did Iris have to be upset? She'd had her chance with Klaus, hadn't she? Sure she had, and she'd blown it every time.

Iris promised to do everything she could to stay out of Maya's way. Even support her, if she needed to, and that was how she could finally show her love for Klaus; by making him happy. By lying to him. By lying to Maya. By lying to herself. It was what she was good at, after all.

Now…? Now, she wasn't so sure that was a good idea.

Iris had heard the rumours about Maya and Raeger of course, everyone had. She hadn't believed them, though, knowing how flirtatious Raeger came across. What she'd said to Maya was absolutely true, and the very reason she doubted they could ever be a couple: Raeger couldn't devote his heart to anyone.

It took two of them to end their relationship, after all.

No, Iris hadn't believed the rumours were true, ever could be or ever would be true. Until, that is, today.

Iris had also been telling the truth when she claimed she'd never seen Raeger act that way with anyone else, not even her. It was the blatant warmth he showed Maya that tipped her off, the protective, loving gaze he shot her way even when she wasn't looking. Iris dreamed of being on the receiving end of a look like that.

And Maya? Well, she was just as smitten, wasn't she?

Iris tried to tell herself that she was forcing truths that were never there in the first place, to give her a second chance at winning Klaus's heart, but after she'd performed her little test with Raeger, she couldn't deny that her instincts were right.

Raeger was falling in love with Maya. Maya was falling in love with Raeger. And Iris was immediately supportive of the idea.

The sun started to set. Iris had been sitting on her bench much longer than she'd thought, contemplating everything that was going on in town. Raeger, for as long as she'd known him, deserved to be happy. For a time, Iris didn't think the right girl would ever come along.

Evidently, she just hadn't waited long enough.

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	6. Conflict

**Hello everyone, and welcome back!**

 **We're going to slow it down a little bit this chapter and spend some time getting to know what everyone is thinking.**

Chapter 6: Conflict

"I promise you, I'm not usually this terrible in the kitchen."

Corona's laughing remark triggered a series of stories that centered around failed baking projects, of which both she and Maya had plenty. Maya was just finishing an animated retelling of the time she'd substituted an entire bottle of prosecco for the wet ingredients in a chocolate fudge cake when the oven timer interrupted her big finish.

"Oh, let me get that quickly." Corona rushed to the stove, slipped on her oven mitts, and produced what appeared to be a perfectly acceptable cake.

The two women were spending the day together while Gunther was out on a job. Corona decided that this year she was going to bake Gunther's birthday cake and cater his party by herself, inspired by Maya's plans for Raeger's birthday the next night.

"I hope it turned out okay," Maya added, coming up behind Corona to have a look. Gunther liked sweet things, but he'd been trying to watch his figure as of late, so Corona resolved to compromise with an angel food cake topped with strawberries. Maya attempted to point out that adding fruit wasn't much of a compromise if he still ate the cake, but Corona dismissed her concerns.

"The last one was a bit too hard," Corona hummed, pursing her lips. The failed cakes that the women previously made were piled up on the counter, with no intended purpose other than to be discreetly thrown out when the opportunity arose. "I think this one already looks promising."

Maya agreed. She wasn't as baking challenged as Corona was on occasion, but she'd been nervous enough about Raeger's birthday to accept Corona's invitation to practise.

After Iris left the restaurant the other day, Maya got to talking with the other guests. One offhandedly mentioned that Raeger's birthday was coming up, and Maya immediately jumped on the opportunity. She loved birthdays, always had, and she was more than excited to celebrate Raeger's. Especially considering how little he usually celebrated it, judging by the few comments he'd made to her after she berated him for not telling her when it was.

'What? Oh yeah, I guess it is soon, isn't it?'

Maya couldn't stand his nonchalance and immediately changed the subject, choosing not to mention her already forming plan.

And so began a rushed party planning endeavor, ending with a perfectly baked cake. Once Maya and Corona nailed down the correct balance of ingredients, they began experimenting with flavours.

"I'm sure Gunther will love it," Maya squeezed Corona's shoulder encouragingly. Raeger's cake was already finished, cooling on a rack near the stove. Maya had determined what kind she was going to bake almost immediately, when the idea to throw him a party had struck her.

It was a butterscotch cake with whipped brown butter frosting, caramel drizzle, and walnuts for garnish. It was by far the most lavish cake she'd ever made, but she'd be way too nervous to present a chef like Raeger with something as simple as chocolate.

The cake was bare for the moment, still too warm to add the frosting. So, in the meantime Maya prepared to help Corona, who was contemplating the use of meringue.

"What do you think?" She pursed her lips, sizing up the angel food cake. It was still in the pan, the carpenter's wife hesitant to flip it over. Cake number four stuck to the pan pretty badly, coming apart in clumps. "You spend more time with Raeger than anyone, I trust your palate."

"I haven't picked up that much from him," Maya laughed, pausing to think anyway. "Meringue would be fine, but I think whipped cream would be better. You could even flavour it."

Corona smacked her fist into her open palm, an excited squeak coming from her throat.

"That's a wonderful idea!" She agreed, moving to the fridge to look for cream. Maya watched on in amusement, picking up a cloth to begin cleaning up after their baking adventure.

"Does Raeger know about the party?" Corona asked, her face just out of view behind the fridge door.

"No, not yet." Maya started to fill the sink, squirting a generous stream of dish liquid into the hot water. "I actually managed to keep something from him for once."

Corona laughed, finally emerging with a carton of cream and a bottle of lemon juice. Maya opened her mouth to comment on that, but thought better of it. "He's pretty observant when it comes to you," Corona winked, nearly dropping the carton. "I think he likes you."

Maya choked out a laugh, scraping some crumbs out of a circular cake pan before dropping it into the filling sink.

"You and everyone else in town," Maya dismissed nervously, praying that the conversation would end there. She'd been too confused as of late to have an intelligent discussion about anyone's feelings, especially Raeger's, and especially now following Iris's revelation at the restaurant.

Unfortunately for her, Corona caught the hesitation in Maya's tone. She frowned, pausing in her measurements to catch the young farmer's eye.

"Is everything okay, honey?" Corona prodded, placing her palm gently against Maya's arm. "It's like the wind just got knocked right out of you."

Maya thought about lying. She knew nothing for certain, and confessing to Corona, who already knew of her feelings for Klaus, could make things that much more complicated. But seeing the concern in the other woman's eyes, the kindness in her smile, Maya just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Not really," she sighed, dunking the cloth in the dishwater to wet it. "Not at all, actually."

"What's wrong?" Corona resumed her measurements, just a bit more quietly than she had been before. "Is Klaus still texting you?"

Yes, as a matter of fact, he was. For the last few days Klaus had been trying to connect with her again, and Maya had been decidedly dismissive. She wasn't trying to be rude, she just wasn't sure how to act around him anymore. Not after the other day. But that wasn't what was bothering her now.

Maya shook her head.

"It's not Klaus. Well, not totally Klaus I guess," she amended, scrubbing some stubborn crumbs. "It's more me. I've been having some… new thoughts."

"Oh?" Corona raised an eyebrow curiously. "What kinds of new thoughts?"

Maya explained, as best as she could, everything she'd been feeling about the events of the last week or so. Corona listened intently to everything, a thoughtful frown on her lips.

"It's so strange," Maya huffed, another pan clanging into the second sink to dry. "Whenever I was around Klaus, I got butterflies, I blushed, I stumbled over my words, and now... I hardly ever think about him anymore! I'm always texting Raeger, or hanging out with Raeger, or thinking about Raeger. It's driving me insane!"

"And what Eda said didn't help at all?" Corona fought back a smile. As painful as she was sure it was, Maya was adorable in her confusion.

"No," Maya sighed, pulling the plug with a violent yank. "I mean, I understand you can like more than one person at a time. And as much as I hate to admit it, that's probably what's happening here."

"Then what's the problem?" Corona furrowed her brow, wondering at the sour smell that hit her nose after she added the lemon juice to the cream. "You have feelings for both Klaus, and Raeger. That's hardly unnatural."

"But which one do I have more feelings for?" Maya spun around, falling back against the counter. That had been the true problem, the one she had trouble admitting to herself. But after explaining her thoughts to Corona, and hearing them out loud herself, it was impossible to deny. Raeger had wormed his way into Maya's heart.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Corona laughed, proceeding to mix the cream with her handheld beater anyway. "That's something you have to figure out for yourself."

"That's kind of the problem, isn't it?" Maya pouted. "I don't know. I was so sure I wanted to be with Klaus, but now…"

Corona mixed steadily, letting Maya work through her sentiment.

The thought of abandoning Raeger filled her with sadness. Maya wasn't sure she'd be able to do it, if faced with the decision. But the opposite was also true; Klaus was may not be the sole person in her heart anymore, but he was definitely still there.

"I think you're just going to have to let this run its course, unfortunately." Corona shrugged sympathetically. "One of these crushes is bigger than the other. If you can't figure out which one right now, then you'll just have to wait a little bit longer."

Maya groaned. Cleaning the dishes had given her just enough room to begin mixing her own frosting and caramel sauce, so she set about gathering the ingredients.

"And if I do pick Raeger?" Maya continued, "Then what? No one says he likes me like that. And then there's Iris."

Maya heard Corona sigh, her breath weary as though she'd been waiting for that complication.

"Iris and Raeger had their chance," Corona insisted, whipping the cream with intensified vigor, "if you like him, and he likes you, she'll get over it. You deserve to be happy too, Maya."

"This just had to happen, didn't it?" She complained, fumbling with a measuring cup. "Nothing in my life can every be simple, can it?"

Corona laughed, tasting the lemon whipped cream with her finger. She pulled a face, discreetly moving to toss it.

"You'll figure it out," she comforted, earning a begrudging smile from Maya. "In the meantime, let's focus on making sure Raeger has a great birthday, alright?"

"What about Gunther?" Maya nodded to the cooling angel food cake on the counter. Corona shrugged again, pushing the hot pan aside with an oven mitt.

"He's had more birthdays than Raeger," she joked, handing Maya the sugar. "Your job is more important than mine at the moment."

.

She was definitely lying to him, Marian was sure of it now.

Klaus had been humoring him, fulfilling his random text requests in spite of his reservations. He'd done it enough times now, both when Raeger was present and when he wasn't, to know that something was up. Maya didn't want Raeger to know when Klaus was contacting her. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not was an entirely different matter.

Marian sighed. The clinic had been slow that day, slower than normal. He had way too much time to think, and that was always dangerous. At least according to Klaus.

The perfumer popped into Marian's head, infuriating him further. When he'd returned from his visit with Iris yesterday, he'd been different. He was smiling like he knew something Marian didn't, and he hated that. No one ever knew more than him, and he wasn't about to let that change now.

Marian was almost positive that Maya was developing feelings for Raeger. It was difficult not to, with his charming personality and attractive features. Marian had spent enough time stealing his own glances when he could, so he hardly blamed Maya for her infatuation.

But what would come of it?

The entire town had thought that Iris was going to be the one to lock Raeger down. The two were together far longer than any of Raeger's other relationships, and the outlook was promising. They clearly cared for each other, more than simple dating required, and for a while it was accepted that they were the new couple.

Marian never believed it though.

He had a sort of sixth sense for these things. While everyone was cooing over what Raeger and Iris's children would look like, Marian was making his predictions on when they would break up. He knew that Raeger wasn't done just yet, and neither was Iris, and it was only a matter of time before he was proved right.

The sudden break up that shocked the town had barely made a dent in Marian's day.

Raeger only dated a few times since his breakup with Iris, and none of them had been promising prospects. Marian barely gave them a second thought. But Maya… now that could be interesting.

"Interesting indeed."

Angela had left for the day, so Marian spoke aloud with little fear. Klaus would be by in about an hour, but he'd walked in on Marian talking to himself many a time during their college days.

Klaus. He made things even more interesting.

Marian felt for his friend. The first woman he'd had feelings for in years and she was nearly ten years his minor, and now perhaps developing feelings for someone else. It was tragic, really. Klaus deserved happiness that he wasn't willing to pursue, so Marian generally took it upon himself to push in his stead.

This time though he wasn't sure if he should, and not just because of the incident at Klaus's house.

As much as it pained him to realise that Maya's heart had split, it would be far worse to pressure her to choose Klaus only to find that she was bitterly unhappy with the decision. Klaus would blame himself, and Marian would be right back at square one.

If only his friend had listened to him about Iris.

It was an age-old argument. Marian was convinced that Iris would be the perfect match for Klaus, but the stubborn perfumer refused. Something about how he didn't deserve to be with anyone, let alone someone as perfect and beautiful as Iris. Hogwash, in Marian's opinion. Klaus was complicated, sure, but he was far from beyond redemption.

Marian pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. If he was this confused, he could only imagine what Maya was feeling. He knew that if she were to choose Raeger, Klaus would happily step aside. It was in his nature. As a matter of fact, he would likely be relieved that she'd picked someone better for her than he was.

And maybe he was right.

Suddenly Marian was very much looking forward to Raeger's birthday party tomorrow. He needed to see Maya interacting with both Klaus and the man of the hour, and then he would be able to decide what team he was on.

If Klaus knew what he was thinking, he would probably be crucified. Marian fixed his mouth in a wry smile; gossip and drama were two of his most valuable skills, and he absolutely lived for scandals. Klaus would just have to accept that.

Besides, he was almost always right.

.

Raeger had a headache.

He didn't get them often, but when he did they were usually powerful and struck him with a wicked vengeance. Today was no exception; he wandered around the restaurant feeling like a hot knife had been shoved into his forehead.

Why did this have to happen now?

The restaurant was empty, Raeger already having closed for the night. It was a little earlier than normal, but he couldn't stand the pain anymore. His last customers had been Melanie and Lutz who, while charming on most days, set his teeth on edge. After they'd finished their ice cream, he quickly closed up shop.

 _I know I have some pain medication here somewhere._

Raeger winced as his boots stomped up the stairs, carrying his tired body less than gracefully to his bathroom. Shampoo bottles, cologne, toothpaste tubes, and various clusters of garbage cluttered the tiny room, but Raeger couldn't be bothered to clean it. Maya wasn't coming over today, so no one would be in there but him.

A wry smile fought its way to the surface of his lips. Raeger remembered thinking similar things when he was dating Iris; if she would be over that night, he would clean. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came to him, unable to spare the mental capacity to worry over that tonight.

Iris had thrown him for a loop yesterday. She hadn't called him 'Chef' since they broke up, and he still wasn't sure how it made him feel.

Raeger yanked open a drawer on the vanity, rummaging through various cold and flu medications, dental floss, and combs. At last his fingers brushed a bottle of ibuprofen, and he plucked it out of the mess with renewed vigour.

Raeger was used to taking care of himself. His mother, bless her, had tried her hardest to make things work when she moved her and her son to Oak Tree. Raeger was young, but he knew that things weren't as peachy as she led him to believe, so he did everything in his power not to make a fuss for her or his grandfather. That often meant he would hide his ailments from others, healing himself when no one was looking.

The last time Iris called him Chef, he'd gotten angry. Well, perhaps angry wasn't the right word. He'd been upset, and unable to look at her for the rest of the day. He couldn't even pretend he was alright, let alone be himself with her. Yesterday hadn't been nearly that bad, thank Goddess, but he wasn't sure why.

A swig of water washed the pills down his throat, and then Raeger collapsed on his bed. He didn't remember the last time someone looked after him while he was ill, so he had trouble missing the sensation. Even still, every now and again the urge to be soothed overtook him, and he longed for the warmth of someone's hand against his flushed skin.

An image of Maya's face flashed before his eyes.

Raeger groaned. He couldn't very well call her and ask her to come look after him, how pathetic would that be? Besides, a headache was generally the first sign that he was getting sick, and Raeger didn't want to pass that on to Maya if he could help it.

Despite that, the thought of her hanging around, comforting him, taking care of him, was nice. Raeger had never wanted that kind of attention from anyone, but he wasn't sure if that was true now.

 _Buzz!_

When had he closed his eyes? Opening them, Raeger glanced at his illuminated phone screen, smiling in spite of himself at the name he saw there.

 _What's up, Love Bug?_ He typed, already cheered by Maya's simple hello. It wasn't long before he'd received a reply, reminding him of their plans the following day.

 _It's your birthday after all!_

His birthday. Raeger had nearly forgotten all about it.

He didn't generally celebrate much, outside of using the occasion as an excuse to pick up girls in the city. Raeger usually spent his birthday at the restaurant, accepting well wishes as he served his customers. Tomorrow, however, Maya had other ideas.

 _How could I forget?_ He added a winking smile to the message and sent it off, a sudden worry taking root in his stomach. Headaches were an early sign for him, but what if he got sick tomorrow and ruined Maya's plans?

Raeger debated. He should tell her he's not feeling well, just so that she wouldn't be blindsided if he cancelled. But if he told her, she might worry, as she normally did. He chewed the inside of his cheek in thought.

 _You should've seen some of the cakes Corona made today… poor Gunther!_

Raeger coughed out a laugh. He knew Maya was spending the day helping Corona bake, and he could've easily told her how it was going to go. Corona wasn't the worst person in the kitchen, but her ideas could get a little… out there.

Raeger thought for a moment, tapping out a reply before he lost the courage.

 _You wouldn't have wanted me around today… not feeling the best._

Immediate nervousness manifested in his chest, constricting his throat and heart. Raeger didn't know exactly how Maya would respond to that; she might wish him well, which is to be expected, or she might offer to come over, which Raeger wasn't sure if he preferred or not.

 _You okay? Do you want me to bring you anything?_

"Ugh," Raeger huffed audibly, contemplating his response.

Yes. Yes, he wanted her to bring something. Her. Just her. Maya and her soft touch, her gentle voice, and her soothing warmth.

 _Inviting yourself over again, Love Bug? Is this just an excuse to catch me when I'm vulnerable?_

Another wink.

 _Don't worry about me. I think I'm just going to get some sleep. Goodnight my sweet, caring, beautiful love._

He finished the text with a heart, dropping his phone on the bedside table without waiting for Maya's following text.

What was wrong with him? It was impossible to deny his attraction for Maya now, if he'd even been able to before. Raeger felt an inexplicable pull towards the farmer- when she wasn't around, he missed her. When she was around, he needed to be close to her, touching her, connecting with her in some way. When they talked, he only wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, bask in the beauty of her happiness. It was maddening, to say the very least.

Raeger couldn't help himself when Maya was concerned. He'd thought… well, he still thought that Iris was his one and only love, but more and more evidence was piling up to the contrary.

"Do I love Maya?"

Hearing the words aloud made his stomach twist so severely that Raeger had to shove his head beneath his pillow to find refuge. He didn't love Maya. Not like he loved Iris. It was different. It had to be.

Even thinking that made him frown. Who exactly was he trying to convince, anyway?

With a great mental heave, Raeger pushed aside all thoughts of Iris and love, and focussed instead on the coming day. Maya had promised him they were going to have fun but kept tight-lipped on the specifics. The ibuprofen had finally started to ease his pain, so Raeger prepared to fall asleep.

Whatever he was feeling, it didn't matter tonight. He could figure it out tomorrow.

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	7. How Did it End Up Like This?

**Hello again everyone, welcome back to Into the Flame! I don't think I mentioned before, but I upload new chapters every Friday! (Saturday if I'm really busy, but usually Friday). So, if you're keeping an eye out for uploads, that's when they'll be!**

Chapter 7: How Did It End Up Like This?

"Surprise!"

Raeger reeled back, dropping his keys and bumping into Maya as she hovered behind him, laughing.

"Happy Birthday!" She sang, accompanied by the huge group of people that were inexplicably hiding in the main dining area of his restaurant with the lights off. Raeger blinked in shock, working his mouth in an attempt to form words.

"What is all this?" He settled on eventually, breaking into an elated smile. Maya fixed him with a secretive wink, shrugging as nonchalantly as she could manage.

"It's your birthday!" Her hands clasped together behind her back as she rocked on her heels. "You didn't think we were just going to a movie, did you?"

Yes, as a matter of fact, Raeger had thought that. He responded to an urgent summons from Maya at around noon, beckoning for him to join her outside the restaurant. Upon meeting her, she informed him that she was taking him out for his birthday.

"You did all this?" Raeger gaped. The restaurant was dark, but he could make out trays of food, speakers, streamers, balloons, and confetti sprinkled throughout the room. On the far wall near his grandfather's juke box was a table piled high with wrapped gifts, a number that looked to be consistent with a contribution from everyone present. Well, except Maya.

She'd given him his gift already, nearly shoving it in his face when he opened the door. It was a ridiculously expensive leather jacket, black and fitted snugly to his torso. Raeger loved it so much that he abandoned the coat he was already wearing and chose to wear the new one instead. He was still wearing it now, hovering at the doorstep to what was apparently his surprise party.

"I needed to get you out of the restaurant for a few hours," Maya explained, giving him a gentle shove so that they could close the door. "Corona coordinated things while I was with you."

Raeger was still in a state of disbelief. He hadn't suspected anything when Maya invited him to the movies- hell, he was barely suspecting that she'd do that much. It never occurred to him that she had all of this planned.

"I can't believe you," he laughed, spinning to face her. She'd been pushing him and faltered at his sudden movement, tumbling into his grateful embrace. "This is amazing!"

"You're suffocating me!" Maya cried, amusement seeping into her complaint. She hugged him back fiercely, to the enthusiastic teasing of the gathered crowd.

"Get a room," Agate grinned, earning another round of laughter from everyone. Maya fought back her blush, abandoning Raeger's hug even as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively in response to the teasing.

"Come on," she tugged on his sleeve, pulling him into the thick of the party. "Somebody turn on some music!"

Marian was quick to oblige, apparently having been prepared for the last hour or so and openly complaining about the lack thereof. A thumping, cheerful song shocked the room into life, immediately injecting everyone with a bubbling energy.

"There's food on the bar!" Maya called out above the chatter. People swarmed Raeger to wish him well, make small talk, point out their gifts, etc. and she was having trouble being heard over the noise. A handful of guests standing around her caught the announcement, however, and eventually word spread.

"Thank you so much for everything!" Maya gripped Corona's hands in hers, the carpenter's wife and her husband having appeared before her. They looked wonderful; Corona was dressed up in a beautiful blue silk blouse and tight black pencil skirt, and even Gunther had changed, wearing dark grey trousers and a slightly wrinkled button down. "It looks amazing in here!"

"Don't thank me too much," Corona dismissed, rolling her eyes as the trio was pushed further from Raeger by the enthusiastic party-goers. Gunther was politely listening, with that calm, gruff smile of his. Everyone treated Gunther as though he was nice, but a little out of the loop. Maya suspected the exact opposite, with his quiet, contemplative ways she wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he was privy to as many things as his wife. "You came up with all of the ideas. I just executed them."

Maya chose to say nothing, knowing no good would come of arguing with her. She was simply happy that things had turned out as well as they had. Raeger looked just as surprised as she'd hoped he would, if not more so. All in all, Raeger's birthday was shaping up to be a perfect success.

"The cake looks wonderful, by the way." Corona winked, nodding to the piece de resistance tucked away behind the abundance of appetizers that Maya made the night before. "I can't wait to try it."

"Me too," Maya laughed nervously. "I didn't want to ruin it by tasting it this morning, so it could be terrible for all I know."

"I seriously doubt that," Corona snorted, shaking her head. "I watched you toil over that cake. If it's anything less than delectable, I'll eat my hat."

"The hat might taste better than anything I made," Maya jested, making Corona giggle despite her disagreement.

"Did you make all of this?" Raeger's voice startled Maya, his lips appearing at her ear. In the short span that she'd lost sight of him, he already had two drinks in his hand. One he was sipping on appreciatively, the other he pushed towards her.

"Of course I did," Maya nodded, taking the drink from him. It was a strong mix of whiskey and soda, and she scrunched her nose as the alcohol assaulted her tongue. "I'm not going to throw a party and make other people cook for me."

As obvious as that seemed to her, Raeger said nothing and stared at the food with an odd expression on his face. She was about to ask, the words tingling on her tongue, when-

"Sorry we're late!"

Both Raeger and Maya turned towards the door, just as Klaus and Iris made their way inside.

Maya immediately felt her throat tighten. She'd invited the entire town, so she couldn't very well leave them out. Besides, she was friends with both of them, and so was Raeger. The twisting of her stomach would just have to take a backseat for the night.

"Look who finally showed up!" Maya laughed, elbowing Klaus and Iris into the group as they made their way over, covering the sudden quiver in her voice with as much volume as she could reasonably muster. The two were met with waves and enthusiastic 'welcome's that revealed just how quickly everyone was consuming their drinks.

"My apologies for the tardiness," Klaus chuckled, sinking his hands into his pockets. "I was cluing up some work before heading out and it kept me longer than I was hoping."

"At least you made it!" Raeger held his glass up in greeting, deliberately ignoring the tall blonde Klaus had arrived with. Maya watched with a concerned frown- maybe inviting the _entire_ town hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"Oh, he wouldn't have missed it," a sing-song voice pierced Maya's ears, "Klaus was quite the partier in our college days."

A slightly tipsy pink haired doctor hip checked Klaus on his way back to his seat, which was next to where Iris was now standing, winking to him in the process.

"Marian?" Klaus raised an eyebrow, questioning his friend with a look. "I figured you'd have broken into the tequila by now."

"I opened the tequila," Marian corrected, flipping his bangs out of his eyes. "I don't drink it. I just use it to make annoying people more tolerable."

"Marian!" Maya exclaimed, giggling. "That was mean."

"I only speak the truth, Sweetie," He insisted, nodding at her. "If it makes you feel any better, remember I didn't offer you any."

"And don't take any if he does," Klaus added with a groan. Maya straightened, realising this was the first time Klaus was speaking to her directly since he arrived. It made her feel annoyingly awkward. "Many of my severe college hangovers were the result of Marian and his persistence with the alcohol bottle."

"Don't give her the wrong idea," Marian tutted, much to Maya's amusement. "You took that bottle a lot more willingly than you're implying, Honey."

Klaus scoffed, although his embarrassed smile indicated that Marian wasn't stretching the truth very far. "Please, continue to tell yourself that, Marian."

"Do you guys want to sit down?" Corona offered, moving to sit in Gunther's lap and freeing up her own chair. Klaus graciously declined, leaving the seat open for someone else to take.

"Please don't fret over us," Iris smiled, "I'm sure Maya is in much greater need of a break after putting all of this together."

"She can sit with me," Raeger put in quickly, taking the vacant seat and tugging on Maya's waist. The last thing he wanted was to lose sight of her now, with Iris and Klaus not two feet from his rapidly deteriorating sobriety. She stumbled, laughing, into his lap, struggling against his arms as he trapped her there.

"Let me up!" She whined, shoving the young chef until he relented, allowing Maya to right herself. "You're such a pain."

"But you love me," Raeger grinned, earning a round of laughter from everyone. "The offer is still open if you have a change of heart!"

"Doubtful," Maya rolled her eyes, shifting her weight to one hip. "But I'll keep that in mind."

"Quit flirting with her, Raeger," Corona chided, laughing. "You don't get a free pass just because it's your birthday."

"Do I get a free pass on any other day?" Raeger asked, earning a smack from Iris as she was the one sitting closest to him.

"How about you just thank her for the marvelous party and then politely keep your mouth shut?" She suggested, sniffing. Maya felt her heart drop as Iris playfully shoved Raeger's shoulder. The atmosphere, while still light, had shifted just enough to be noticeable.

"Who pissed in your cheerios this morning?" Raeger snorted, less than delicately. "You're even less fun than normal."

"That's not true," Iris insisted, fixing her hair. She turned away from Raeger as she did so, forcing him to face her properly. "I'm fine. I just think you've harassed poor Maya enough for one day."

Raeger looked taken aback. "I'm not harassing her!" He exclaimed, smacking his knee with his open palm. "Maya, am I harassing you?"

Maya began to stutter, inadvertently caught in the back and forth.

"Well- I mean- No you don't- I-" She stammered, unsure of what was expected of her. Marian interrupted the banter with a series of maniacal cackles, shattering the awkward tension at just the right time.

"You lot are better than a soap opera," He chuckled, elbowing Klaus as he did so. "Come on, your turn. Say something embarrassing."

Klaus gave him a pointed look.

"I think the fact that I'm friends with you is quite embarrassing enough, thanks." He huffed, earning another roar of laughter from the small group.

"You've been supplying a lot of commentary, Marian," Maya smirked, relieved at his intervention, "How about you take the lead for a while, hmm?"

She was practically begging him to. Whether he caught on or not, Maya couldn't quite say, but suddenly Marian's eyes sparkled deviously, accepting Maya's suggestion with a flare.

"Settle down, children." He began, cracking his knuckles for the sake of showmanship. "This is a classic tragic tale of love and betrayal, starring yours truly, and featuring special guests: Liar, and the Cheat. Oh. And Klaus was there too."

A ripple of laughter and groans shuddered through the group as they fell into a long, complicated, and horrendously exaggerated retelling of some of Marian's fondest memories from college.

Maya listened to Marian's story as closely as she dared. Parties had a tendency to get out of control, quickly, and this was proving to be no exception. It felt as though they'd just walked in the door, and yet so much had happened.

She glanced at Iris. At Klaus. At Raeger. With each person, Maya's confusion grew even more. What were they thinking? How did they feel?

How did _she_ feel?

Before Maya could properly catch her breath, Corona's voice pierced her reverie with a tone of urgency.

"Oh Maya, be a dear and help me out over here, would you?" She hooked her arm through Maya's elbow, tugging her off of her chair and away from the group, still enraptured by Marian's tales. "I couldn't get one of the speakers connected properly and it'll keep cutting out all night if we don't fix it."

"Uh, sure," Maya frowned, confused by the abrupt retreat, but kept her mouth shut until they were out of earshot of everyone else.

"What was that about?" Corona had indeed stopped near a speaker, but Maya already knew nothing was wrong with it. Corona offered her a sympathetic smile.

"You looked like you were getting a little overwhelmed over there," she admitted, squeezing Maya's hand. "Everything happened pretty fast, huh?"

Maya nodded, accepting Corona's gesture gratefully.

"You know," Corona began, glancing back at the others. Marian had disappeared, no doubt to locate more alcohol, and now Klaus was speaking animatedly to Iris while Raeger looked on politely. "He really does seem happier when you're around."

Maya flinched, but she'd just been thinking that very thing.

She'd really tried to keep her emotions out of the equation, just for tonight. Maya was determined to forget about her problems for a little while, focus solely on making sure Raeger had a great birthday. Unfortunately, and maybe expectedly, she failed.

When did everything get so… complicated? Maya took note of the differences between herself and Iris- the other woman was tall, beautifully blonde, curvy in all of the right places, and irrefutably elegant. Maya was small, brunette, and cutesy. It wasn't difficult to see why Raeger had fallen for the older woman, and why he seemingly remained in love with her to this day.

Even Raeger and Klaus were completely different. Maya felt a strange ache in her heart as she watched Klaus and Raeger talk, exchanging pleasantries no doubt. Raeger, relaxed and confident in his slim, dark jeans, new black leather jacket, red crew-neck long-sleeved shirt, and wind-tousled copper hair. Klaus, formal and refined in his tailored green suit and short, unruly locks.

So different, and yet her heart thumped painfully whenever she looked at either of them.

"I need another drink," Maya sighed, downing the one in her hand in an impressive gulp. Corona smiled sympathetically, disappearing to get her one with significantly more alcohol content than the one she'd just consumed.

Maya fought back the feelings coursing through her as fiercely as she could. The party had barely started, and she already wanted to go home. She wouldn't be, of course; after drinking anything at all she would much rather sleep on Raeger's couch than risk walking home.

He would probably insist she share the bed, but Maya didn't want to think about that.

Raeger and Iris. They were a strange couple, but she certainly couldn't blame either of them. Iris could break hearts with a bat of her thick eyelashes, and Raeger was… well, he was Raeger. Charming and attractive and kind, he could sweep any woman off her feet. But watching them standing next to each other, Maya couldn't help thinking that something didn't look right.

Iris was tasteful and sophisticated, looking far more at home on Klaus's refined arm than Raeger's down to earth, rugged one.

"Like comparing beer and wine, isn't it?"

Maya jumped, whirling to face Marian's knowing smile. She felt an immediate sense of dread, one that usually accompanied Marian's arrival.

"What are you talking about?"

Marian snorted, sipping his margarita with enthusiasm.

"As if you don't know," he sighed, rolling his eyes. His false lashes fluttered innocently. "Raeger and Klaus, beer and wine. Two entirely different flavours, and yet both have their appeal."

Maya said nothing. She wouldn't argue with Marian- perish the thought. But she didn't have to agree with him either.

"If you want my advice," Marian continued, intent on giving it whether Maya answered yes or no, "the best way to pick a favourite is to try them both."

Maya couldn't maintain her silence now, bursting into a sudden, shocked laugh.

"I think that's a bit ambitious," she criticized, sneaking a quick glance at Klaus and Raeger, who'd started to pick at the assortment of snacks. "For me, anyway."

Marian hummed thoughtfully, tapping his nails against the glass. As he'd predicted, Maya was finding herself in the middle of an interesting love triangle. This was perhaps the most fascinating thing that had happened in Oak Tree in a long time.

"Ambitious, perhaps. That doesn't make it a bad idea." Marian cackled at Maya's uncomfortable frown, resting his hand on her shoulder. "A little taste wouldn't hurt. Although my sources indicate you've already tried the beer."

Maya went rigid, her eyes widening to saucers. Marian only held his finger to his lips, his eyes twinkling delightedly.

"Ah, so it is true," he smirked. "Don't worry Lamb Chop, I'll keep that little tidbit to myself."

"I don't know what to think right now," Maya admitted, fidgeting with her dress. She'd worn something different today, in celebration of Raeger's birthday. It was a short, flowy, red dress that hugged her waist and flared out. She couldn't help but consider what Raeger would think of it when she picked the outfit, complete with grey strapped heels. Klaus had once told her she looked good in blue.

A certain chef she knew had implied that he preferred red.

"You'll figure it out," Marian reassured her. He was fairly certain he'd already decided who she should choose, but that wasn't his decision to make. He abandoned Maya just as Corona returned, satisfied that he'd confirmed his suspicions and left his mark on the situation.

Now he would just have to wait and see.

"What was that about?" Corona quirked an eyebrow, watching Marian as he sashayed away, mingling with the crowd. Maya accepted the drink she offered, dragging her finger around the rim.

"We were just talking about the drink menu," she shrugged, taking a hesitant sip.

.

Raeger was getting drunk.

He knew he was, but he couldn't stop himself. He liked drinking on occasion, especially when things in life were less than ideal. As it so happened, he'd been trapped spending most of the party chatting with the two people he wanted to speak to the least.

Klaus was a nice person. Raeger always liked him, even if he was a bit stuffy. But ever since he'd learned of Maya's feelings for the perfumer, and the incident from the other day, seeing him always left a bitter taste in Raeger's mouth.

What did Maya see in him anyway?

No, that wasn't fair. Raeger was letting his own emotions impact his judgement. There was plenty about Klaus to like, but Raeger was having difficulty finding them tonight.

"That's a wonderful jacket, Raeger," Klaus nodded to the garment. "Is it new?"

"A birthday gift from Maya," Raeger smiled politely, taking a little bit of satisfaction in the answer. He knew Maya had never gotten Klaus anything like this, and although he wasn't generally the jealous type, he found himself puffing his chest a bit.

Klaus smiled thoughtfully, taking a sip of his brandy.

"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," he chuckled, "she's very thoughtful."

Raeger agreed, going back to his sixth drink of the night.

"Goddess, Raeger," Iris tutted, pursing her pink lips, "slow down, you'll be wasted before the night's out."

Ah, yes. The other reason that was exactly what Raeger was planning to do.

Iris had a habit of sparking an odd combination of bitter resentment and longing from somewhere deep within him, but tonight was different. Despite their past, Raeger always wanted to be around Iris. He found her charming and unattainable. Tonight, however, he wanted nothing more than to get away from her.

He didn't hate her. Raeger could never hate Iris, quite the contrary in fact, but more and more he was beginning to doubt his own feelings.

"That's the idea," Raeger grinned, taking a deep gulp. "I only have one birthday a year, after all."

Where had Maya gone?

Raeger was always disappointed when she got dragged away from him at social gatherings, but Corona had taken the young farmer for far longer than normal this time. He'd barely seen her all night, and he was beginning to miss her company.

Just as he thought that, Raeger caught a glimpse of Maya's red dress sifting through the crowd.

"Excuse me," he made a quick but polite getaway, leaving Iris and Klaus to chat amongst themselves.

Alcohol was likely not the best solution to Raeger's problems. He couldn't get Maya off of his mind for most of the day, especially when he opened the front door to her standing there in the sexiest dress he'd laid eyes on in a long time.

What was so wrong with feeling this way for her again? Raeger was having trouble remembering. He was having trouble remembering much of anything at the moment, to be fair. And why should he have to? It was his birthday, and he was perfectly allowed to have fun with his friends.

His friend that threw him the best- and only- birthday party he'd ever had.

Maya went above and beyond. No one ever celebrated Raeger's birthday with much enthusiasm, likely because he didn't make a big deal out of it himself. But Maya was different. She pulled out all the stops, even cooking for him. No one had ever done that for him before.

"Raeger!"

Maya greeted him cheerily, drinking from a different glass than the one he'd given her. It seemed like she'd thrown back a few herself since they'd parted.

"Are you having fun?" She asked him with such sincerity and nervousness, as if he would ever indicate otherwise. Raeger smiled reassuringly.

"I'd be having a lot more fun if you'd stop disappearing," he teased, noting with amusement the soft blush that sprang to her cheeks.

"I associate with other people, you know." She winked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't have me all to yourself."

Raeger resisted a laugh. How was it that she knew that's exactly what he wanted?

"Why not?" He pouted comically, "trying to make me jealous, Love Bug?"

Maya rolled her eyes, giving Raeger a sharp shove on the shoulder. She loved his banter, it made her feel warm and happy no matter her mood, and more and more she found herself seeking out his teasing remarks. Maybe that wasn't what she should be doing, but for the moment she didn't care.

"Dance with me," Raeger implored her, his voice sweet and smooth. Even if she wasn't just lost in thought, Maya wouldn't have been able to bring herself to refuse, placing her hand delicately in his.

With a gentle spin, she was in his arms and in the middle of the dancefloor. Maya gasped in surprise, clinging to him for balance. The few drinks she'd had had made her tipsy, more so than she'd thought.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," she laughed, clinging to Raeger's shoulders as he whirled her around again. "I'm not as steady on my feet as I thought I was."

"Don't worry," Raeger smirked, tightening his grip on her waist. Maya giggled, letting him guide her all over the room. "I won't let you fall."

Maya snorted, fixing him with a playfully skeptical grin.

"Oh please," she laughed, falling against his chest as he continued to guide her. "If anyone trips, it'll be you."

In spite of her words, Raeger was proving to be incredibly light on his feet. Maya couldn't help but be a little impressed as he followed the beat perfectly, even managing to make her look good in the process.

"I'll have you know," Raeger huffed indignantly, "I happen to be an excellent dancer."

"So says you."

As Raeger spun her again, Maya caught sight of Corona and Gunther in a nearby corner, dancing like they were. Maya smiled; Gunther was far less coordinated than Raeger, but he was trying his hardest to keep a beat and Corona was clearly loving every minute of it. She laughed and twirled and clung to his arms, encouraging him to keep going even when he stumbled over his own feet.

It was the kind of love that Maya thought everyone should aspire to find someday.

"They're really cute, aren't they?"

Raeger's voice startled her, and Maya looked up to find him following her gaze to Gunther and Corona.

"I knew her back before she married Gunther. She was dating this absolutely horrible guy from the next town over. Everybody here hated him."

Maya listened intently, barely noticing as the song changed to a slow, swaying ballad. Raeger absentmindedly adjusted his hold on her body, pressing her gently into his embrace as they moved.

"When Gunther came to town, his business took off so quickly that everyone knew who he was within the first week. Corona told me she was going to him hoping he would fix a sticking lock on her bedroom door, but her boyfriend didn't quite see it that way.

"He came over while Gunther was working and they had this big blow out. Corona was trying to defend herself but this guy was just not having it. Gunther didn't say anything at first, you know how quiet he is, but apparently the guy raised his hand and that was the last straw."

"He hit her?" Maya gasped, bringing her attention back to Raeger. He was staring wistfully at the couple, but at Maya's concerned exclamation he brought his gaze to her.

"Not that time," Raeger reassured her, squeezing her waist comfortingly. "Gunther stepped in before he could. But I'm sure it wasn't the first time he tried, although I've never gotten Corona to admit that."

The pair fell silent, letting the weight of the story hang in the air.

Corona and Gunther were so happy, even after knowing them for only a short while Maya could see that clearly. They supported each other, laughed together, had fun in each other's company; when they were together, they glowed.

Maya's thoughts trailed to her and Raeger, noting with a flip of her stomach all of the similarities between them and the married couple across the room.

"Thank you, by the way."

Maya blinked up at Raeger again, startled out of her reverie just as she was about to blush. He was smiling down at her, a soft, sincere sparkle in his emerald eyes.

"For what?" Maya furrowed her brow, bringing her thoughts back to the present. "The party?"

"That," Raeger nodded, gently lifting her into a twirl before setting her down again. "And everything else you do. I usually have to cook for my own special occasions, you know."

"What?" Maya laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You can't be serious."

"I am!" He defended, his smile just as wide as hers. "Everyone is afraid to cook for me because they don't think it'll be 'up to my standards', or some other bullshit. Not even my girlfriends would try. But you didn't even hesitate. So, thank you."

A pang of sadness struck her. There was something woeful about Raeger being forced to cook for himself all the time. Now that she thought about it, Maya wasn't sure she'd ever seen Raeger take a step back and let someone care for him.

"Well, I'll cook for you anytime," Maya assured him with a cheery wink. "No matter how terrible it turns out."

"You'd better," Raeger laughed, bringing them to a stop with the fading notes of the song. Raeger used his arms to steady them, his own head spinning much more than it had been just a moment ago. "And no showboating! I want to taste what _you_ have to offer."

"Of course," Maya grinned. She pushed her palms up his chest, reaching around his neck and pulling him down to her. Raeger started, but he complied, bending just enough for her to press her lips softly against his cheek.

"Happy birthday, Raeger," she whispered, a shallow blush sprouting across her chest. Just as soon as she'd kissed him, she let go, taking a large step backwards.

"I'd better start cleaning up a little." Maya caught herself fidgeting and quickly clasped her hands tightly together. "I think some people have started to leave and if I don't get something done now, we'll be cleaning all day tomorrow."

Raeger watched her retreat, perplexed by the sudden thumping in his chest and the way his arms ached with her absence. Surely, he couldn't be-

Corona and Gunther caught his attention again, laughing happily as they shared a drink. Raeger had decided a long time ago that, whenever he found the right woman, they would be as happy as the carpenter and his wife. A long time ago, he'd thought he'd found that happiness with Iris, but even at the time he'd had trouble picturing the two of them sharing a life together.

Now, flashes of a petite farmer with mossy eyes and auburn hair were assaulting his mind in tune with the rhythm of his pounding heart.

Raeger shook his head fiercely, plastering on his best smile as Fritz found him with another beer in hand. He couldn't be concerned with this now. His feelings for Iris were just fizzling out, this wasn't the time to be thinking about another woman.

Still, Maya's lingering warmth on his skin was a painful reminder of just how cold he was.

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	8. It Was Only a Kiss

**Welcome back again lovely people! A quick spoiler warning for those of you who haven't played through at least the first year of Story of Seasons!**

Chapter 8: It was Only a Kiss

"Thanks so much for coming, you guys!"

Maya stuck her arm out the front door, waving happily to Corona and Gunther as they escorted Fritz back to their place for the night.

It was well into the early hours of morning now, somewhere around 3 o'clock, and the last of the party guests had finally left. Everyone, to Maya's knowledge at least, seemed to have a wonderful time and she was nearly glowing with happiness.

"That was by far the best birthday I've ever had," Raeger sighed, collapsing onto one of the comfier benches by the front door. He dropped his head back against the wooden arm, letting some of the tension out of his shoulders. "You should start your own party-planning business."

"I'll think about it if the whole farming thing doesn't pan out," Maya laughed, sinking onto the same bench. Raeger moved his legs to accommodate her, never opening his eyes.

The silence around them was comfortable, a much-needed solace from the excitement they'd been caught up in all night.

"After we open a restaurant together, you mean," Raeger corrected, thinking back to the delicious food Maya made for the party, as well as her proficiency with counter service.

"Of course," Maya laughed, laying her hand reassuringly on his calf. "After that."

As hectic as everything had been, and as put-off as Maya felt by Klaus and Iris, she'd managed to enjoy herself. Even Marian was far less exhausting than normal, and Maya felt significantly more relaxed now that it was all over.

"You're staying here tonight, right?" Raeger asked suddenly, cracking open an eye to gauge her reaction. Maya nodded, not opening her own eyes in response.

"That was the plan," she yawned, stretching her aching limbs. In fact, the very bench they were sitting on was her intended resting place for the night. "Now get off my bed, I'm tired."

"What do you mean, 'your bed'?" Raeger snorted, scrunching his nose in distaste. "You're sleeping with me."

Maya coughed out a laugh, shifting until she was sitting across from him. "You're demanding, aren't you?"

Raeger laughed too, pushing himself into a sitting position that mirrored Maya's.

"Ladies love a man that can take control," he winked, earning an exaggerated eyeroll. "But seriously, you're not spending the night down here. There's more than enough room in my bed for the two of us."

"And listen to you snoring all night?" Maya raised an eyebrow. "Not a chance."

"You're sleeping in my bed, Deorlo," Raeger insisted, using her last name for emphasis. "Come on, it'll be fun. I'm really cuddly."

Maya laughed again, her head swimming in residual alcohol.

"You know what? I don't have the energy to argue with you," she sighed, receiving a triumphant grin from Raeger. "You'd better not be lying about how cuddly you are. It's probably freezing upstairs."

Raeger's heart thumped, aided by the wonderful dizziness in the rest of his body.

"Come to bed with me," he began, his words quiet and sincere, "and I won't let you go for anything. Not until you tell me to."

Maya's eyes rounded, a blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks. Raeger would likely regret saying that later, but for the moment he couldn't bring himself to care. He reached out and gently traced down Maya's neck with his fingertips, feeling her breathing hitch.

"I-" she stammered, flustered now. "I'll hold you to that."

She wouldn't need to. Raeger meant every word.

"I'll get some more cleaning done before we go to bed," Maya announced quickly, almost tripping as she stood up. "If we leave the rest of the food out it might start to smell, and we can't have that in a restaurant, now can we?"

Without looking back at Raeger, Maya retreated to the kitchen.

Her heart was beating so fast- faster than it ever had before. If she didn't know any better, she would think that Raeger wasn't teasing her. But that was ridiculous, he had to be teasing. There was no way that-

She stumbled, reminding her of how drunk she was.

That was the answer. Maya was intoxicated and misinterpreting Raeger's words and actions. That had to be it. Even still, the thought of falling asleep wrapped tightly in Raeger's embrace, it was almost too much for her.

Dishes were piled throughout the kitchen. Maya couldn't possibly finish them all now, but if she didn't take a moment to calm down before retiring to Raeger's room, she wasn't sure what she might say or do.

A creak in the floorboards told her that Raeger had joined her. Great. Just what she needed.

"You can go get ready," Maya assured him, stacking plates in random, unhelpful piles. "I'll just be a minute."

He didn't say anything right away, simply approached her from behind. Maya kept her eyes firmly on the sink in front of her.

"You've got something there." Raeger swallowed, poking his finger into Maya's neck. She jumped, startled by his unexpected touch. "Looks like icing."

"Oh," Maya reached up with her palm, moving to wipe the smear away. She had no idea how long the icing had been there, but it must've been a while. Maya's fingers had barely brushed her skin when Raeger caught her wrist in his palm.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered, his voice suddenly very low. The sound trickled down Maya's spine. "I'll get it."

Before she could question him, Raeger's lips pressed softly against her skin.

"Raeger-" Maya gasped, her heart hammering in her chest. She was frozen- unsure what she should do. The wind outside slammed against the windows and walls, shaking the house and making her jump, but as Raeger's mouth worked against her skin, she began to relax. Raeger's lips parted gently, his tongue lapping at the icing on Maya's neck. His mouth was hot and soothing against her skin- she gripped the counter for support.

"So good…" Raeger mumbled, his hands encircling her waist. Maya sucked in a breath, leaning into his embrace in spite of herself. Was Raeger truly still this drunk? His breath drifted over her in ragged increments, making her knees quake.

"I think you got it all," Maya murmured, fighting the excitement pumping through her veins. Despite her reservations, the logic in her brain screaming at her to stop, she was glad that everyone else had already retired for the night. When she was alone with Raeger, it was easy to forget everything else.

"I think you're right," Raeger agreed, his voice husky and full of suggestion. Maya's breathing hitched. "That's fine," he continued, spinning her slowly in his arms. She found herself facing him, the counter digging into her lower back, her torso pressed against Raeger's chest. "Your lips are sweeter anyway."

Maya felt her cheeks darken. In the low light, Raeger's emerald eyes sparkled with lust, alcohol, and something else she couldn't place. Maya's stomach fluttered just as Raeger coaxed her into a lingering kiss.

His lips were warm- so warm- against hers, safe and familiar and new and exciting all at the same time. Maya was startled, but a sudden surge of happiness coursed through her. Her heart thumped wildly, so loud she was sure he could hear it. If he could, Raeger gave no indication as he squeezed her waist and lifted her onto his kitchen counter.

They shouldn't be doing this, Maya knew, but she couldn't stop herself. Raeger's fingers tugged on her curls, tilting her head back and opening her mouth to him. She sighed into his kiss, familiar feelings coursing through her as their touches grew more heated.

Maya felt the same excitement, the same ease, and the same happiness that she'd felt the night Raeger kissed her the first time. Only now, their thoughts muddled by the drinks they'd consumed, Maya felt no reservations. Her heart was still torn, but with each passing moment she felt closer to figuring out what she truly wanted.

A quiet moan escaped her throat as Raeger moved to nibble on her ear. His hips pressed into hers as their breathing came in short bursts, Maya's fingers digging into Raeger's shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Maya panted, gasping as Raeger suckled her neck. Contradictory to her words, she tightened her grip on him. Raeger answered with a gentle groan, choosing to continue to kiss her.

Indecision be damned. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was something else, but Maya didn't care. Raeger's lips felt so good against her skin, she felt so good in his embrace, everything felt so right- they could kiss now and figure the rest out in the morning.

Maya twisted her fingers in the fabric of Raeger's shirt, pulling him as close as he could possibly get.

"Fuck," he whispered against her lips, a lightning bolt of desire ripping through him. "Iris-"

Maya froze, her body going rigid in Raeger's embrace. His voice had sent a shot of ice through her veins, freezing her very soul.

Iris. He'd just said Iris. Not Maya. Iris.

"Hey," Maya mumbled, pressing her palms against Raeger's chest. He didn't respond right away, captured by the feeling of her body in his arms.

"Raeger? I think you need to stop now." Maya tried again, pushing harder. Embarrassment and sadness welled in her throat, threatening her with tears. "Please?"

Hearing the conviction in her voice, Raeger pulled away. His eyes were hooded and out of focus, and he struggled to pull himself together. Maya blinked away the stinging in her nose.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, sweet concern in his voice. The genuine tone only drove a knife further into Maya's heart, and she slipped to the floor to cover up her sudden pain.

"Yeah, of course," she assured him, mustering up the best smile she could. "It's just that you're drunk, and I really need to get home."

"Oh," Raeger frowned, coming back to his senses a bit. His hair was ruffled from their kissing, so he ran his fingers through it. "I thought you were spending the night here?"

Maya bit her lip. She knew if she didn't get out of there as soon as possible, she'd break down in front of him. It was strange, trying so desperately to hide her pain from the one person who always made it go away.

"I just realised I need to do some things for Eda in the morning," Maya lied, brushing her hair back into place. The taste of Raeger's lips lingered in her mouth. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

Raeger seemed to be sobering up a bit, his attention drawn to the howling winds outside.

"I don't like you walking home by yourself in this," he pressed, his brow furrowing. "Especially so late at night. Let me walk you back."

"No," Maya shook her head quickly, "you need some rest. I'll be fine, I promise."

Raeger hesitated. Under normal circumstances, Maya knew this would never fly. Raeger was nothing if not fiercely protective; he would never let her walk home by herself in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the night. She held her breath, hoping he was still influenced enough to lose this argument.

"Maya, I'm really not comfortable letting you leave in this," he insisted, Maya's heart sinking with his words. "I worry about you, you know?"

Raeger's hand found hers and squeezed it, a reassuring gesture that went straight through Maya's heart. She let him hold her hand only long enough to be polite, and then abruptly let go.

"I'll be fine," she reaffirmed, stricter now. "Get some sleep Raeger."

Before he could say anything more, Maya made a B-line for the door and refused to look back.

.

By the time Maya made it back to her farmhouse, she couldn't see through her tears.

"Damnit!" She cursed, hiccupping pitifully. How could she have let herself get so caught up in him like that?

Her house was cold and dark, almost palpably lonely. She hadn't expected to come back here before tomorrow, so nothing was ready for her to just collapse on the bed like she wanted to. There were dishes in the sink, clothes strewn about, and her blankets were sitting untouched in the dryer. Maya ignored all of this, sinking to the floor in the middle of the entryway.

Why was she surprised? Raeger loved Iris, she knew that. Hell, that was the entire reason they'd kissed the first time, sparking this entire mess. It was no shock that Raeger was attracted to her, he'd said so himself on multiple occasions, so of course he would kiss her. Of course he would make a move on her. He was drunk, she was drunk, what more excuse did he need?

Maya let out a pained sob. Her stomach hurt, from drinking or heartache she couldn't quite tell. She was so completely, utterly stupid. She let herself get caught up in the moment when everything in the world screamed at her to stop. She played with fire tonight, it was no wonder that she got burned.

Angrily, she ripped her heels from her feet and threw them across the room.

The house creaked around her, bending to the wild winds outside. Maya had been so preoccupied with everything that she hadn't been paying attention to the skies. A sudden fear struck her as she considered the possibility a thunder storm could break.

If that happened, she didn't want to be anywhere near a door.

Her phone buzzed just as she was standing, no doubt another text from Raeger. He'd messaged, asking her to let him know when she'd made it safely back.

Maya wasn't ready to see his name just yet. She ignored the buzzing, dropping her phone on the table as she scrambled to get her blankets from the laundry room. Work or no work tomorrow, for now Maya was going to curl up in her bed, wrapped in a protective cocoon of fabric, until she felt at least somewhat whole again.

Another buzz, this one lasting longer than the first.

Maya frowned. Raeger wouldn't be calling her unless he was really worried and as much as she didn't want to speak to him, she didn't want to scare him either. The quicker she answered the phone, the quicker she could slip into a drunken slumber until morning.

Her thick duvet draped heavily over her shoulders, Maya reluctantly picked her cellphone off of the table, but it wasn't Raeger's name illuminating her screen.

"Eda?" Maya rasped into the line, "what are you doing up so late? What's wrong?"

Silence met her ears.

Maya waited, listening hard for any signs of distress on the other end, but nothing came. After a few breathless moments, the phone call disconnected from Eda's end.

An accidental dial? Maybe, but the sudden numbness in Maya's legs made her think otherwise. Eda wouldn't be up this late, not for any reason Maya could think of. And if she needed help-

It wouldn't hurt to go check on her.

Maya didn't bother putting her shoes back on. Her heart was inexplicably pounding, a knowing fear clawing its way up her throat as she nearly ran to Eda's farm.

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	9. Lean on Me

**Welcome back everyone! Are we ready to hear Raeger's side of the story? Don't lose too much faith in our misguided chef just yet!**

Chapter 9: Lean on Me

Blinding light. Raeger groaned, rolling over in bed and pressing his palm firmly against his throbbing head.

He rarely got hangovers, last night must've been a roaring success.

The sun was already above the horizon, meaning he was late waking. Raeger gave a great stretch, sighing as his spine crackled delightfully. As much as he wanted to laze around, he needed to get up. Maya would be wanting breakfast soon, no doubt, and he was nothing if not accommodating-

Raeger's brow furrowed. Where was Maya, anyway?

He'd woken up very much alone in his bed, the restaurant downstairs even quieter than his bedroom. Had she already left for the farm? That wasn't like her. She would typically have remained if only to give him crap for how drunk he got. Had something happened?

A vague memory tickled his mind, something about icing? Raeger couldn't remember. Pushing the thoughts aside, he reached for his phone to see if she'd texted him while he was asleep.

It wasn't on his bedside table, as it always was. Raeger frowned, tossing the blankets off of him and making his way to the kitchen. He must have left his phone downstairs last night- plausible, considering he was still in his jeans.

Raeger caught a passing glance of his appearance in the floor length mirror near his staircase and paused. His hair was atrocious, although that was hardly enough to warrant suspicion on its own. No, what caught Raeger's attention was the faint red lines trailing across his chest. They almost looked like-

All at once, the forgotten events of last night came rushing back to him. The icing on Maya's neck, kissing her, lifting her onto the counter, losing himself in her embrace, where the kiss was leading, and finally, what made it stop.

Raeger felt a rush of nausea. Iris. He'd said Iris's name aloud while kissing Maya. _Damnit!_

"Shit," he cursed, suddenly rushing down the stairs. A hard, all-consuming fear gripped him. It wasn't what it sounded like, far from it, but there was no way Maya could've known that. Finding his phone was suddenly very, very important.

The entire night Raeger was fighting with himself. Maya looked so beautiful, and she'd put together the best birthday he'd ever had. His feelings for her were coursing strong and true, and they'd finally taken over once his inhibitions were muddled with alcohol.

But… Iris. No, it wasn't what it sounded like.

Raeger rushed around the kitchen, turning over plates and discarded napkins in a near panic. He'd been thinking about Iris, but only for a moment. Long enough to confirm his suspicions: he wasn't in love with Iris anymore. His feelings for her had been eclipsed by his feelings for Maya. And now he knew that for certain.

Raeger groaned. How could he be so stupid? His drunken mind had colossally fucked up, only voicing a fraction of a full thought. The 'Iris' that Maya heard was only part of what he'd been thinking, a memory from earlier in the night surfacing at the worst possible moment.

Klaus had just retired to get another drink, leaving Raeger and Iris alone. He wasn't even sure she'd said anything to him, but he thought he'd heard her warn him about Maya. Threaten him never to hurt her. To not make the same mistakes he'd made with Iris with Maya. But when he questioned her, she just winked and greeted Klaus as he returned.

He would never hurt Maya, he didn't need Iris to tell him that.

At least, that's what he'd been thinking.

He never meant to say any of it out loud, and instead he'd said the worst thing he could've. He didn't blame Maya in the least for storming out, he would've too. But he needed to tell her the truth- tell her that he'd only wanted her last night, only her and no one else, if only he could find his damn phone!

Finally he caught sight of it, resting innocently on the table. Raeger lunged for it, every intention of calling Maya immediately; a text wouldn't be fast enough for him; he needed to rectify things _now._ But when he picked up the device, he froze.

27 missed calls. 14 text messages.

Raeger scrolled through the numbers, fear forming in the pit of his stomach. 10 calls from Maya. 6 from Marian. Another 8 from Corona. 3 from Klaus.

9 texts from Corona. 4 from Marian. 1 from Klaus.

0 from Maya.

Raeger's hands shook as he read, his bones turning to lead as he pieced together what happened while he was passed out upstairs.

He was out the door before he'd taken another breath.

.

Maya sat leaning against Eda's front porch, her back pressed painfully into a post. She couldn't remember if it was part of the deck, or the stairs, or a useless piece of wood, but she was too tired to care. The air was quiet around her, a huge change compared to the panic and despair that permeated the farm only a few minutes ago.

Marian was inside Eda's house with Klaus and Veronica, trying to figure out what to do with Eda's body.

She was nearly gone when Maya found her, collapsed on her kitchen floor with a broken teacup near her outstretched hand. Eda was smiling, as she always was, happy to find out that her call hadn't woken the young farmer. Maya wanted to laugh but found the lump in her throat stopping her.

The fear she'd felt in that moment was nothing she'd ever felt before. She helped Eda into bed, doing everything she could to keep herself together, but when Eda fell unconscious Maya lost it. She called everyone- Marian, Corona, Klaus, Veronica, Raeger-

Raeger. She'd called him before anyone else, without even thinking about it.

As embarrassed and hurt as she was, Maya couldn't quell the longing in her heart. She wanted Raeger there with her, to feel his warmth, his strength, it was what she needed as she watched Marian burst through the door, Klaus hot on his heels. It was what she needed as they tried in vain to resuscitate the old woman. It was what she needed when Corona arrived, tears pouring down her cheeks. It was what she needed when Veronica took control of the room, shooing everyone unnecessary from the house.

It was what she needed now, sitting in the late morning sun and trying desperately to keep from falling apart.

Corona was inside, making tea. She didn't think it was appropriate, but it was all she could do. Veronica commanded a wagon be brought from the Guild Hall to transport Eda comfortably. It had arrived, and now they were just waiting for Marian to finish his work before they moved her.

"How are you?"

Maya jumped out of her skin, falling onto the grass as Klaus appeared behind her.

"Apologies," he frowned, offering her a hand. Maya took it, gingerly righting herself. Klaus looked exhausted, like the rest of them, with thick bags underneath his eyes and unsightly five o'clock shadow. Maya shook her head, staring firmly at the ground.

"Marian said it wasn't a difficult passing," Klaus whispered, seating himself next to her on the ground. "May I?"

Maya nodded, still staring at the gravel.

They sat in silence, listening to the cheerful chirping of the birds, twittering about as if this was any other day.

"I'm afraid I have to help Marian move her when he's ready," Klaus lamented, turning to face Maya. "Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I'll be alright," Maya sniffed, thinking of Corona working away just beyond the door. "I'll be fine."

Even as she said it, tears began to pool in her eyes. Maya inhaled sharply, trying desperately to keep her breathing even, but Klaus saw right through her. He pulled her gently against him, almost thinking better of it after their tumultuous relations of late. Maya fell against him gratefully, her shoulders shaking with grief.

"You're right, you know." Klaus murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "You will be fine. I know you will."

Maya said nothing, the weight of all that had happened pressing down on her heart.

They sat in silence, the cheerful morning sun offering bitter contrast to their moods. Klaus cleared his throat after a time, shifting to look down at her.

"Maya?" She looked up. "I know things have been a little… off between us lately. But I want you to know that if you ever need anything, you can always call on me. No matter what, I will always be your friend."

Maya blinked, feeling like her head was full of cotton. Klaus was right. They were friends. And Maya had been a pretty awful one lately. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong. She shouldn't be punishing him for her inner turmoil. Besides, he was here now, when she needed someone the most.

"I'm sorry Klaus," Maya found herself saying, wrapping her arms around him in a tentative hug. He squeezed her back, giving a slight, joyless chuckle.

"You have nothing to apologise for."

"Maya!"

The pair looked up at the panicked shout to see Raeger, tearing across the lawn as fast as he could.

"Raeger?" Maya whispered, pulling away from Klaus's embrace. She stood without thinking, taking only three steps before Raeger collided with her, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Raeger demanded, squeezing her as tightly as he dared. "Where's Eda?"

Maya's answering silence told him everything he needed to know. The embrace he'd caught between Maya and Klaus told him that he was too late to do anything about it.

"Raeger?" Corona appeared then, followed closely by Marian. "Where have you been? We've been calling you all morning."

"I know, I-" Raeger paused, knowing there was no excuse he could make that would improve the situation. Instead he brought his gaze down to Maya, conveying as much regret as he possibly could, "I… I didn't have my phone. I'm just glad you called Klaus before you called me. At least you weren't alone."

Maya was about to correct him, but found her voice disappearing.

"Speaking of," Marian interrupted quickly, gesturing to the perfumer. "I think we're about ready in here."

As Klaus and Marian returned to the house, Corona and Maya explained to Raeger what happened. All the while his heart hammered painfully, his knuckles white as they clung to Maya's dress. It was only then that he noticed she hadn't changed from the night before.

"She gave me her farm."

Raeger blinked, startled by Maya's bitter words.

"Right before she… she gave it to me." Maya continued, tears spilling down her neck and onto the fabric of her dress. "She gave it to me and I- I don't- it's Eda's farm-"

Maya couldn't say more than that. She wasn't letting herself think about the implications of taking over Eda's land- it was too much at once. Even explaining the situation to Raeger left her gasping.

"I'm so sorry," Raeger murmured, his cheek pressed firmly into her hair. Maya hiccupped into his chest, sobs wracking her body. "Sweetheart I'm so, so sorry."

Maya tried to tell him it was okay, that she was just happy he was here now, but no words would come. Her throat hurt, her eyes were swollen from crying, and she was so incredibly tired. Instead she buried her face snugly against Raeger's neck, gripping him with all the strength she had left.

"You should bring her inside," Corona suggested softly, her hard eyes staring disapprovingly at Raeger. He didn't need her punishment, he was already overrun with guilt. Marian and Klaus had disappeared down the path, the faint sound of the wagon's wooden wheels crunching over the gravel walkway carrying on the wind.

Raeger nodded, pulling back just enough to get a view of Maya's face. Her eyes sparkled with tears, looking devastatingly beautiful even in heartbreak. His stomach clenched.

"Is that okay?" He coaxed, gingerly brushing her hair from her eyes. Maya nodded, sniffling, and let Raeger lead her back towards her farmhouse.

"Raeger?"

Corona's voice met Raeger's ears, bringing him to a halt. He'd known the woman long enough to recognize that her tone implied she wanted to talk, so he told Maya to go on without him. He'd meet her inside.

"I know I fucked up," Raeger sighed, speaking before he'd even looked at Corona. Her answering grunt was enough to confirm that she wholeheartedly agreed. "I can't make it up to her from out here, though."

"Where were you?" Corona pressed, laying a hand gently on Raeger's shoulder. She was angry with him, but the emotional turmoil of the morning left her drained. And besides, he clearly understood what he'd failed to do for Maya.

"My phone was down in the restaurant," Raeger sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Corona really looked at him then, at his dishevelled hair and rumpled clothes. He looked as though he'd rolled out of bed and come running, and she suspected he'd done just that. "I didn't hear it."

The pair was silent for a long moment, listening to the wind carry through the trees. Raeger felt a crushing guilt like he'd never felt before; he should've been there for Maya and he wasn't. Not only that, but he'd hurt her so badly the night before. Screw being her boyfriend, he couldn't even handle being her friend without fucking it up. He clenched his fists.

"She called you first, you know."

Raeger turned, blinking at Corona in surprise.

"You said you were glad she called Klaus instead of you." Corona gathered her things, moving to follow Marian and Klaus's path away from the farm. She paused briefly to glance at the house where Maya had shut the door firmly behind her. "But she called you first. I just thought you'd want to know that."

Raeger didn't know what to do with that information. He watched Corona leave, the thought lingering with him until she was well on her way down the mountain, and then he made his way to Maya's farmhouse.

.

Maya was in the shower when there was a knock on her door.

Raeger pulled himself off of the couch with great effort, dragging his feet as he made his way to the door. He was exhausted, and emotionally drained, but he'd been with Maya for a few hours now and it seemed like she was finally beginning to feel better. He hoped that whatever waited behind the door wasn't about to ruin that.

"Klaus?" Raeger blinked at the perfumer in the late afternoon sun, standing with a tray of snacks in his hands. "What are you doing here?"

Klaus cleared his throat, nodding to the tray he held.

"I just stopped by to see how Maya was doing," he explained, his deep vibrato grating Raeger's ears like nails on a chalkboard. "She was so distraught this morning that I was worried. Besides, I thought you might want a bit of a break."

"Thanks," Raeger tried to smile, but an overwhelming resentment welled inside him. Seeing Klaus standing on the other side of Maya's door, asking about her… his blood began to boil no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

Raeger couldn't begin to explain what he'd felt when he came up on Eda's farm only to see Maya leaning against Klaus, his lips on her hair. It stirred a dormant jealousy in him that he didn't think he was capable of. Jealousy, anger, regret, fear, and a deep, deep loneliness.

"She's doing better," Raeger explained, swallowing his pride. "Thank you for looking after her when I couldn't."

"She's a dear friend," Klaus nodded, dismissing Raeger's thanks. "It was the least I could do."

The two men hovered awkwardly, unsure how best to proceed. Raeger wanted nothing more than for Klaus to leave- his presence made Raeger twitchy. After everything that had happened, everything they'd been through, Klaus was still a better friend to Maya than he'd ever be.

Seeing him there, concerned and helpful when he had no obligation to be, rubbed salt in Raeger's open wounds.

"She's in the shower," Raeger blurted suddenly, the silence aggravating him worse than Klaus's voice. He desperately needed sleep. "I can tell her you stopped by, but she only just got it. It'll be a little while."

A small fib, but enough to get Klaus taking a step backwards.

"If you could, that would be much appreciated," he nodded, thrusting the snack tray into Raeger's hands. "Let me know if either of you need anything. You should try and get some rest, Raeger. You look like death."

Raeger shrugged, giving a curt wave before closing the front door again.

A shard of guilt lodged itself in Raeger's stomach. Klaus didn't deserve his hostility, but he couldn't control himself. Raeger wasn't accustomed to feeling jealous, so he was horribly ill-equipped to handle it.

The snack tray clattered noisily as he dropped it on the counter next to the other dishes. He'd been cooking earlier, trying to entice Maya into eating something. She'd been stubbornly fasting all day, and Raeger was getting worried that she would make herself sick.

"I can't even feed her properly," he sighed bitterly, "what the hell kind of chef am I?"

"What?"

Maya's voice startled him, appearing in the kitchen entryway. Raeger spun, knocking a spoon to the floor.

"Sorry," she apologized, the ghost of a smile gracing her features. "I didn't mean to scare you. I heard you talking and I thought someone was here."

Raeger swallowed hard before speaking. He had to- Maya, fresh from the shower, was making his throat dry.

She'd changed into a clean pair of shorts and a loose tank top, one that fell low on her chest. Her hair was still wet, tendrils of auburn locks curling around her face, skin glowing with sparkles of leftover water.

"Klaus was here," he forced out eventually, shuffling his feet until he realised how childish it looked. "He dropped off some snacks, if you're hungry now."

Maya pursed her lips, surveying the counter with mild interest.

"I'd rather have some of that soup you made earlier," she shrugged, giving him a sheepish smile. "If that's okay?"

'Okay'? Raeger almost sang.

"Anything you want," he promised, holding out his hand to her. She took it, letting him pull her into his arms. "It's yours."

He held her, much as he had this morning, letting her warmth sink into his skin, reviving him. She smelled of soap and perfume, a scent that he could get addicted to if he let himself.

"Raeger?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you for something?"

Raeger nodded, pulling back from their embrace just enough to take in her expression. She met his gaze with nervousness, chewing her lip out of habit.

"Kiss me?"

Her words startled him, far heavier than they seemed. Maya's tone was thick with implied meaning, and Raeger knew that she was asking for more than just a kiss.

"Maya-" Raeger hesitated, tightening his hold on her but refusing to accept her request. Maya blinked up at him with defeated eyes.

"I know, I know," she sighed, looking away from him. Already he missed her gaze, and the pull to give her what she wanted was nearly unbearable. "This isn't… I understand; last night, I mean. I just-"

She paused to sniffle, discreetly wiping a tear away with her wrist. Raeger wanted to correct her, but she began speaking again before he could.

"I just want to feel close to someone for a little while," Maya whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of her words. "It's stupid, I know. I just don't know what else to do. I haven't lost anyone since I was small."

Silence fell between them. Raeger stared at the profile of Maya's face, his heart thudding loudly in his ears. He was in love with her, he knew that now, but this wasn't a confession of love. Maya was asking him for something purely physical, and as much as he wanted to agree he wasn't sure that he should.

Affairs were nothing to Raeger. He'd had many in his day, and they were always fun and easy. An affair with Maya, on the other hand… no. That wouldn't be easy at all. Fun? He thought of their intense kissing the night before. Hell yes it would be fun. But he'd never entered a fling with someone he had feelings for before. This was new territory, and he certainly didn't trust himself for that.

But he could give her something, at least. Raeger tilted Maya's chin back towards him with his thumb, capturing her lips with a sweet, gentle kiss. Maya sucked in a startled breath but kissed him back none the less.

"I can't have sex with you," he mumbled between kisses, rubbing soothing circles on her back with his palm. "I can't do it."

"Why?"

Raeger opened his eyes to see her staring at him, green irises sparkling in the sun. Butterflies erupted in his stomach.

"Because it isn't what you want," he smiled, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Maya leaned into his touch, letting her eyes drift closed. "It wouldn't be right. Not while you're so upset and vulnerable."

"You didn't have a problem with my vulnerability last night," Maya grumbled, making Raeger burst into a full-bellied laugh.

"Last night I was very, _very_ drunk," he countered, pressing one last kiss to her forehead. He paused, feeling the tense shift in the air. "And… I was very, very stupid too."

Maya stiffened, catching the implication in his voice.

"Raeger, we don't have to talk about it-"

"No, we do," he insisted, putting as much conviction in his words as he could. "I mean… we don't need to right now or anything. But it's not… it's not what you think it was."

Maya raised an eyebrow at him, saying nothing. He took it as permission to continue.

"When I said… what I said. I didn't mean it that way." He began, releasing one of his hands from Maya's waist to run his fingers through his hair. "I was working through some stuff, stuff that had nothing to do with you." A white lie, but he wasn't ready to open that can of worms. "It was about Iris, yeah, but not… like that."

Maya furrowed her brow, blinking.

"You know you're not making any sense, right?" she pushed, her defenses up and strong. Raeger took a breath, trying again.

"I don't think… well, I don't think I'm in love with Iris anymore."

Maya's brows lifted. She hadn't been expecting that.

"I was thinking about it all night, and I guess some of my thoughts just slipped out." Raeger huffed, already feeling his anger at himself swell again. "Maya, I _promise_ you. Me kissing you last night had absolutely nothing to do with Iris. I know that's asking you to put a lot of faith in me, but-"

"I believe you."

Raeger jolted his gaze back to hers, startled.

Maya held his stare, unwavering.

"I do," she insisted, shrugging. "You're a terrible liar, Raeger. I know when you're telling the truth. And… maybe part of me just wants to believe it. Saves me a bit of embarrassment, you know?"

Raeger opened his mouth.

"Wait," Maya interrupted, "I don't mean that I'm just believing you because I want to. I know you. You wouldn't try and cover your own ass like this, not right now. Not after… this morning. It's ok. We're ok."

Raeger almost couldn't believe her. It was too good to be true. But, that being said, she had to be telling the truth. Maya wasn't one to spare his feelings; if she was upset with him, he would know it. Raeger replayed the words in his head over and over. 'We're ok'. It's all he ever wanted to hear.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you," he whispered, pulling her against his chest again. "And I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

Maya shook her head, burying her nose in the crook of his neck.

They stayed like that for another while, Raeger listening to Maya's steady breathing, Maya relishing in the warmth she'd been craving all morning. Eventually, Raeger sighed.

"How about we try and get some sleep, okay? Maybe get some of that soup we talked about?" he paused, a mischievous glint in his eye, "And… if you're still interested after you've rested for a while…" Raeger smirked, ghosting his lips across the sensitive skin near Maya's ear, "I'll be happy to oblige."

Maya playfully swatted him, and he knew things were back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be. Maya's expression was tinted with sadness and fatigue, and Raeger knew that the upcoming days would be hard on everyone. He reached behind him, pulling the string on the lamp near Maya's counter, and invited her to lie down with him on the couch. She did, snuggling into his embrace as he'd been hoping she'd do the night before. Maybe if everything had gone differently, they wouldn't be here right now. Maybe, by some miracle, Eda would still be here and he and Maya would've woken up in his bed, naked and tangled with one another.

Of course, that wasn't the case. Raeger knew that. But he let himself think it a possibility as he drifted off to the sound of Maya's even breathing.

 **I think this fic has turned into a challenge: how many times can two characters almost have sex before they're officially a couple? A few more at least! *wink***

 **Favourite, Follow, Review!**


	10. Raining Light

**Phew, ten chapters in already! It's a miracle!**

 **Full disclosure, for a long time I didn't think this fan fiction was going to make it to publication. I struggled so hard with the plot and pacing, and I'm still not totally happy with it in parts, but I've put so much work into it now that it would be a shame to scrap it.**

 **Besides, I think I managed to bring it back alright. What about you?**

Chapter 10: Raining Light

The days after Eda's passing were the hardest Oak Tree had to deal with in a very long time.

Everyone was utterly devastated, but especially Fritz. For a time, he refused to leave his farm, leading to a colossal blowout between him and Raeger that resulted in the copper-haired chef quite literally dragging the distressed farmer from his home and into the restaurant for some real food.

The rest of the town fared better, but Eda's loss was felt strongly throughout the following week. Shops closed early, plans were cancelled, the Trade Depot was less lively than usual, the whole town's atmosphere seemed grey with depression. Even the Fireworks Festival was pushed back, allowing everyone time to grieve.

But now it had been a week, and things were starting to come back to life.

After Fritz was 'rescued' by Raeger, he began to recover. Once the bubbly young farmer started showing signs of normalcy, the rest of the town followed suit. Veronica announced that the Fireworks Festival would go ahead the upcoming Saturday, and that simple decision shocked some much-needed energy back into the masses. The fireworks would be held in Eda's honour, and the town was determined to make her proud.

Raeger and Maya watched everything happen from a safe distance, with the exception of Fritz's intervention, recovering at their own pace from the comfort of Maya's farmhouse.

When he wasn't at the restaurant, Raeger practically lived at Maya's farm. He couldn't bring himself to leave her alone, even though she insisted that she was feeling much better. Her words didn't matter to him- not when he could still catch glimpses of sadness lurking behind her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking.

Raeger hated how powerless he felt. After his mistake the night of his birthday party, one that he still wasn't sure Maya forgave him for, and his failure the following morning, Raeger was more determined than ever to prove to Maya that he was worthy of being in her life.

On the day of the fireworks festival, everyone was alive with excitement and energy. Maya made a generous donation, one that allowed Veronica to supply a fully-stacked show for the townspeople. Corona and Gunther organized a cleaning crew that worked through the day to make the Trade Depot sparkle, Mistel and Lilie composed a set list of songs that could be played during the festival, and Raeger volunteered to supply the food.

He hadn't seen Maya all day due to that promise. Raeger was holed up in his kitchen, popping and bagging mass amounts of kettle corn that he could hand out later. He did this every now and again, and it always made him smile to see how happy the villagers were with the small gift. Still, this year was difficult. He wanted to be available to Maya as much as he could, knowing that a day like today would probably be hard on her. She promised him she was fine, but he knew better than to believe her.

"Are you done in here yet?"

Raeger jumped, dropping a bag of popcorn on the floor and groaning in frustration. Good thing he'd made extra.

"Just about!" He called, looking up as Marian made his way through the stacks of food. "What are you doing here? I thought everyone was heading to the Depot already."

Marian nodded, sneaking a piece of popcorn from a nearby bag.

"Maya was worried you wouldn't be able to carry all of this by yourself," he explained, waving at the piles with an exaggerated flourish. "But Veronica needed her to help set up. So, I volunteered my valuable time."

"You volunteered to help?" Raeger laughed skeptically, eying Marian with an amused smirk. "To lift things?"

Marian rolled his eyes, hoisting a load with his manicured fingers.

"You've seen through me, I'm afraid." His voice was listless, exhausted from the toll the previous week had taken on everyone. It was strange, seeing Marian with less than a fireball of enthusiasm. Now, it was barely a spark. "I have ulterior motives for being here."

"And they are?" Raeger prompted, gathering the remainder of the popcorn into a manageable pile.

"You know I hate meddling, Raeger," Marian started, earning a hearty laugh from the chef. The doctor shot him a warning glare. "But I feel I must intervene, for the sake of everyone involved."

Raeger felt a pit begin to form in his stomach. "Involved in what?"

Marian paused, chewing his lip in thought.

"I… well, I don't know _everything_ going on between you and Maya at the moment, but I feel I know enough." He took a deep breath, steadying his confidence. "Frankly, it's none of my business. But after all of… this, as a medical professional I find myself concerned for Maya's mental health."

Raeger's eyebrows knitted, a small frown marring his lips.

"Whatever your intentions with that girl," Marian trudged forward, "I implore you to think before you act. You've been spending a lot of time with her lately, no doubt providing irreplaceable support through this ordeal. I just want to be sure that you're prepared for the importance of such a role in a grieving person's life. Maya is not one of your conquests, Raeger. Boyfriend or otherwise, it would be cruel to abandon her now simply because you're bored."

The young chef bristled at that, the apprehension in his gut melting to anger.

"I would never abandon her," he spat vehemently, resisting the urge to yell. "Maya means more to me than you could ever- I can't believe you would say- how _dare_ you-!"

Marian held up a hand, stopping Raeger just as his breathing quickened.

"It's just some food for thought, little chef," Marian smirked, though the amusement didn't reach his eyes. "You're not the only one worried about her."

Heavy silence hung between them, a million thoughts racing through Raeger's head. As much as he wanted to defend himself, as much as he wanted to throw Marian out of his restaurant for even suggesting such a thing, he understood. Oak Tree had just lost one of its people. Marian wanted to make sure they wouldn't lose another.

Taking a calming breath, Raeger brought himself to his full height and met Marian's curious gaze.

"Maya is more dear to me than anything in this world," he vowed, ignoring the embarrassment pinking his cheeks. "As long as she needs me, I'll be there for her."

Marian smiled, satisfied with his answer.

"Well then, in that case," he grinned, turning towards the door with a much lighter load than he could comfortably carry, "come on little chef. We have a show to do."

.

"There you are!"

Maya sighed, stealing half the stack of boxes Raeger was struggling with. He tried to protest, but she wasn't having it.

"Everyone's been waiting for you," she tutted, nodding to the group behind her. Corona and Gunther were smiling faintly, as if they weren't sure yet of the proper way to greet everyone. Iris and Klaus were standing just a touch away from everyone else, no doubt sensing the mild tension Maya still felt towards them. The rest of the villagers were spread out across the Trade Depot, huddling with cautious anticipation as Veronica finalized the preparations.

"Sorry," Raeger shrugged, offering a half-hearted grin. "Marian came to help and ended up just slowing me down."

"Why isn't that surprising?" Klaus muttered, interrupting Iris's story. A ripple of laughter moved through the group as the perfumer realised he'd been heard.

"I'm surprised at you," Marian pouted, furrowing his brow in a frown. "I'm always helpful."

"Not tonight you weren't," Raeger agreed, feeling a flutter of guilt. Marian's words bothered him, far more than he'd let on, but he swallowed his pride for the sake of the festival.

"Well it doesn't matter now." Maya placed the boxes of popcorn on the ground, looking to where Veronica had been just a moment ago. She was anxious to get things started now that everyone was accounted for. "Raeger? Do you want help handing these out?"

"No can do, baby doll." Raeger shook his head, hoisting a more manageable armload of boxes. "You stay here and get comfortable. I'll make my rounds and be back before you can miss me."

"Take all the time you need, Raeger," Corona sang out after him, "I don't think we could ever miss you that much!"

There was a muffled 'hey!' of indignance as Raeger disappeared into the crowd, just missing the outburst of chuckles from everyone.

"I miss him pretty much all the time," Maya admitted truthfully, smiling at Corona. "I'm not sure what I would've done without him over the last week."

"How're you doing anyway?" Klaus asked, he and Iris finally joining the main group. "I was getting worried when you weren't answering my messages."

"I haven't really been answering anyone's," Maya responded, stretching the truth a little. She'd been corresponding with Corona and Raeger, but that was about it. Everyone else had taken a back seat until she was feeling more like herself. "But I'm doing much better now."

"That's good," Iris exclaimed, a gentle expression gracing her features. "After Fritz, I think everyone was worried about you the most."

Maya didn't say anything to that. At a festival in Eda's honour, she expected people to talk about her. As a matter of fact, she'd been mentally preparing herself all day. Unfortunately, it didn't make it any easier on her.

Veronica's voice interrupted any further chatter, announcing that the show was just about ready to be underway. A soft round of applause flared, with a few people giving cheers.

"Looks like we should all find our spots," Corona decided, nodding to Gunther. He'd slung a blanket over his shoulders, in case they wanted to sit somewhere on the cobblestone. "Maya? You want to come with us? I think Raeger is just about finished."

"Too good to stick with the riffraff?" Marian teased, waggling his finger admonishingly. "I'm surprised at you three. I thought this was a family event."

"You're welcome to join us too, Marian," Maya assured him. "I just thought you prefer bothering Klaus."

Marian paused, his lips pursed in thought.

"You know what, you're right." He chuckled, turning instead to where Klaus and Iris were standing. "Where shall we go, my dears?"

"Not leaving without me, are you?"

Raeger appeared almost as suddenly as he'd left. When Maya questioned him, he explained that Veronica set up a table for his popcorn without his knowledge, so 'handing them out' had been a mercifully simple affair.

"I brought some with me though," he assured the group, hoisting a full box in his arms. "Don't worry your pretty little heads about that."

"Never forget your friends," Marian nodded sagely, plucking a bag, "if you eventually become a world renowned chef, I hope you know I still expect freebies."

"That reminds me!" Corona exclaimed suddenly, shoving her popcorn into Gunther's hands. He nearly dropped it, recovering at the last possible second. "My sister sent me tickets to this trade show in Mineral Town. It's a weekend convention, and on Sunday night they have a gala. Gunther can't go, but I'm dropping by to push our brand."

"A gala?" Iris snorted, "sounds like the exact opposite of something Raeger would be interested in."

"I was hoping you would come, actually." Corona continued, ignoring Iris's jab. "There'll be a lot of other chefs there, I thought it would be a good opportunity to network."

"That would be amazing, Corona," Raeger grinned, already planning around the restaurant's hours. "I'll be there."

"And you're more than welcome to bring a date," she winked at Maya, who was pulling a water bottle out of her bag. The young farmer laughed.

"Raeger's done more than enough for me," Maya insisted, shrugging. She wasn't cut out for fancy events, and besides, she wouldn't want to distract him. "I'm sure he's sick of my face by now."

Corona laughed, but Raeger was entirely focused on the absolute lie that had just left Maya's lips.

"Well actually I-"

A loud hiss interrupted him, followed by a burst of light from somewhere over the trees. Everyone turned in awe, staring as the tendrils of colour whirled their way through the night.

"Wow!" Maya exclaimed, grabbing Raeger's sleeve in excitement. He smiled to himself, placing his hand gently over her fingers.

"I've never seen them this big before," Gunther mused, his arm slung loosely over Corona's shoulders. "They really went all out this year."

"Well Eda deserves it," Corona agreed, nodding decisively. Maya shot her a grateful look, pulling her attention back to the sky as more pops and bangs sounded through the air.

"Eda would've loved this," Maya smiled wistfully, staring at the colourful splashes lighting the sky. Raeger smiled too, thinking of the old woman and how delighted she would've been to be here.

"I'm sure she's watching from somewhere," Corona placed her palm reassuringly on Maya's shoulder. "She wouldn't miss something like this."

"Not to mention the popcorn," Maya laughed, plucking a bag from the tray in Raeger's hands. "It always was one of her favourites."

"Of course it was," Raeger snorted, lifting the tray higher in his hands. "Everything I make is delicious."

Maya rolled her eyes, happy to be feeling this way again. A sense of normalcy had crept into the back of her mind and, to her relief, it was clinging tight.

After what seemed like too short a time Veronica cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention to inform them that the last few fireworks were about to be set off, and then the night would be over. There was a collective murmuring of sadness, followed by the unmistakable sound of yawning coming from every direction. As much as they hated to admit it, Veronica was right to end the show now.

Maya blinked, her own eyelids starting to feel weighted. She stared at the sky longingly, waiting for the final burst of light, and then she would get to go home to what she hoped would be her first good sleep in a long time.

.

Raeger was exhausted.

The last of the fireworks had fizzled, just like Veronica promised, but he was still here. Someone had to clean up the garbage left around, and since it mostly consisted of the popcorn boxes he provided…

His back was aching from all of the bending he was doing. Maya offered to help, but he told her to just wait for him by Jonas's booth. He'd be there to walk her home as soon as he was done.

Despite the sombre tone of the evening, Raeger felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of the town. While the start of the ceremony had been quiet and respectful, by the time everyone filed out of the Trade Depot, he could hear laughter and cheery chatter from everywhere.

It eased some of the discomfort in his own heart.

"Hey Love Bug," Raeger chirped, slinging the bag of empty popcorn boxes over his shoulder. As full as it was, there was barely any weight to it. "I'm just about done here, then I'll walk you home."

"Okay," Maya nodded, head tilted back. The gentle tone of her voice made Raeger pause, turning back to get a look at her face.

"Everything okay?" He asked, furrowing his brow. Maya nodded again, her eyes transfixed on the stars above. Raeger hesitated, chewing his lip as he watched her.

Maya had her arms wrapped around her knees, hugging them as close to her body as she could. Her skin was pink with cold, but she'd refused his offers to lend her his jacket. Her hair was wild from the wind, floating above her skin with each passing breeze.

And yet…

Raeger could barely trace her features from where he was standing, but if he squinted hard enough, he found that Maya looked almost happy. The closest to any positive emotion he'd seen on her in a long time. Veronica had been right to push the festival after all, as much as he hated to admit it; she was incredibly cocky, when she had the opportunity.

The last of the popcorn boxes having been discarded, Raeger extended his hand to Maya. She blinked up at him, her mossy eyes finally bright with something other than tears.

"Let's head out," he grinned, revelling in the feeling of her delicate fingers in his grasp. "You'll need to get some sleep for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Maya cocked her head to the side as she struggled up from the ground, her legs numb with cold. "What's happening tomorrow?"

With a devilish wink, Raeger slung his arm about her shoulders.

"I'm taking you out," he informed her, setting off at a slow pace. As much as he wanted Maya to get her rest, this would be the first night in a long time that he wasn't spending with her. He wanted to drag their time together out just a little longer. "Just you and me. A real date."

"A _real_ date?" Maya repeated dubiously, smirking. "With you?"

"'Real' is a loose term," Raeger conceded, though instant regret flooded through him, "but I mean it. I'm taking you to town with me and we're going to have some fun. I think we deserve it."

Maya smiled, a bubble of anticipation building in her chest.

"I think you're right."

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	11. How Would You Feel?

**Hello all! Welcome back. Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Things are going to lighten up a bit for this chapter, so enjoy some shameless fluff.**

Chapter 11: How Would You Feel?

"Shoot," Maya muttered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It fell into the path of her eyeliner, making a distinguishable smudge.

She didn't wear makeup much anymore, not since she started farm work. The weather was too warm, the work was difficult, and she sweat too much to keep it properly in place. Back in the city, Maya wore makeup nearly every day and she was still quite good at the application.

Having fixed her little slip up, Maya turned back to her closet. Raeger was picking her up in an hour and she still hadn't figured out what she was going to wear; the thought made her stomach flutter.

 _A real date?_

Even though Raeger's flippant dismissal was fairly indicative that this was anything but a 'real date', Maya couldn't keep her nerves under control. She felt like she did before any date- nervous, excited, anxious, and warm.

Her wardrobe choices were narrowed down to a casual sundress or a pair of dark jeans and a thin, light grey, striped cardigan. It was nearing the end of the warm season, and if Raeger's texts were any indication they would probably be out late.

Jeans and cardigan, then.

Maya turned back to her dresser and started rooting for a lacy white undershirt. The outfit was cute, and she certainly looked good in it, but would Raeger be disappointed? Most of his dates were with beautiful, feminine girls, who wore flowing dresses and flared skirts. Maybe she should reconsider the dress after all…

No, no she shouldn't.

Why did it matter what Raeger thought of her in that way? It wasn't a real date, and besides, she wore dresses around him all the time. Jeans would be a nice change.

A sharp noise from her bedside table startled her, and Maya hastened to pick up her phone. Another text from Raeger informed her that he was on his way.

Her already anxious heart began to beat faster. She didn't have time to berate herself for feeling this way, she needed to finish getting ready first at least. Then maybe she'd have time to worry about their relationship and-

All of a sudden Maya felt a huge weight fall on her shoulders. She was so tired, so emotionally and mentally exhausted from trying to figure out what the hell was going on between her and Raeger. He was so wonderful to her during Eda's passing, and not once did she question his intentions. Why now did she have to complicate things?

She didn't, she decided. Maya wasn't always the best at putting her thoughts away, but tonight was different. Raeger was going to be here soon, and the second he arrived all negative thoughts were going to be stashed away for another time. Why not?

Her mood lifted considerably after that decision, and Maya was quickly back to the nervous state of excitement that had been hovering around her all day. She picked out her favourite pair of brown boots, a light, yellow scarf, and a bright teal clutch. She was just double checking her freshly curled hair when there was a knock on the front door.

"Your dashing date has arrived, dear lady!"

Maya rolled her eyes, swinging the door open to reveal an incredibly smug Raeger, one elbow leaning on her doorframe and his forearm just blocking his cheek.

"I wouldn't exactly say 'dashing' date," Maya laughed, though she was lying through her teeth. Raeger wore dark denim jeans, almost the same shade as hers, grey sneakers, a dark green shirt, and the new leather jacket she'd bought him. His hair was side-swept, as always, but more wind-tousled than usual. To top off the impression, he held a small pink flower in his hands, one he undoubtedly picked on his way here.

"Hey," he pouted, a look of hurt marring his features, "I was even nice enough to get this flower for you. No need to be rude."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Maya giggled, taking the flower gently. Her fingers brushed against his and a bolt of electricity shot through her. She placed the flower on her countertop, reminding herself to put it in water when she got home and taking a moment to get her blush under control. "Shall we?"

Raeger held out his hand- not his arm, like he normally did- and Maya felt him engulf her palm, tugging her along beside him. As she bumped into his shoulder, a woodsy-scented cologne met her nose and she almost leaned into him to try and smell it again. She caught herself just in time, blushing furiously at how totally he affected her.

This was going to be a long night after all.

.

"You know, normally my dates are a little more private," Raeger winked, nodding to the park they were walking through. Families were spread out around them, children playing in groups of three or four, soccer balls and kites dotting the landscape. Maya shook her head, nudging him with her shoulder.

"Normally your dates accept cash or cheque," she quipped. Raeger snorted in surprised laughter, trying his hardest to be offended but finding it difficult.

"Hey!" He exclaimed indignantly, the grin on his face giving away his amusement. "That might be the meanest thing you've ever said to me."

"I'm sure I've gotten more creative than that," Maya smirked, side-stepping an abandoned pile of dog droppings. "Or maybe I'm losing my touch."

"No one can ever accuse you of that," Raeger rolled his eyes, steering them out of the way of an oncoming cyclist. "It's probably late enough to get supper now, you think?"

Maya glanced at her phone and was met with a surprise. Raeger was right, it was definitely late enough for supper- much later than she'd thought it was. The evening was approaching on 6:30, but the last Maya remembered checking the time was around 2… had they been walking that long?

"Yeah," she nodded, her stomach suddenly growling. "I'm just realising that I'm hungry."

Raeger glanced over his shoulder, looking for a landmark of some kind. Maya tried to follow his gaze, but all she could see was a rickety sign post that indicated public washrooms and a broken drinking fountain.

The park they were strolling through was fairly old. The city had refurbished it many times throughout the years, but the original structures still boasted their rustic charm and flaws. The flowers, trees, bushes, and grass were thriving, as were several new statues and benches, but the drinking fountains, signs, and less travelled pathways needed a little TLC.

"Well, then you're in luck." Raeger announced suddenly, "You've chosen your company wisely, my pet. I happen to know the best places to eat around here."

Maya shook her head. "You don't say? A chef is good at spotting nice places to eat? Colour me shocked."

Raeger ignored her jab, coming to an abrupt halt in front of a massive steel van that Maya had missed on her first glance around.

"You'll be eating your words in a minute," he promised, an air of professionalism overtaking him. Maya watched with respect as his general atmosphere shifted just enough to be noticeable, making sure she knew that he was taking this very seriously. "Welcome to the Best Burger in Town!"

If Maya was surprised that Raeger was willingly eating a burger, the confusion evaporated when she realised that the Best Burger in Town was actually the name of the food truck they were standing beside. It was tucked away in the far corner of the park, just off the beaten trail, but judging by the size of the line Maya suspected they had a good enough reputation to draw people to them.

"A food truck?" Maya was a little dumbfounded. She had always imagined that if she ever went on a date with Raeger, he'd take her somewhere a bit fancier. As a matter of fact, he told her on many occasions that his go-to spots were some of the more high-end restaurants on the other side of town.

"Something wrong with a food truck?" He replied, slipping his hand encouragingly around her waist. Maya shook her head, fixing him with a teasing stare.

"Not at all," she promised, "I was just expecting something a little more traditional for our first official date."

Raeger snorted, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Jealous, Love Bug?" He licked his lip, pausing to exaggerate the motion. "Think you're not as important as my other consorts?"

"A girl could get that impression," she teased back, poking him in the ribs. Raeger laughed again, squeezing her gently.

"On the contrary, my dear." Raeger patted the side of the truck with his palm. "I only take the best of the best to this place- as a matter of fact, that would make you the only girl I've taken here."

Maya tried to dismiss the banter, but found a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

"This truck used to be a hidden gem," Raeger explained, pulling her over to stand in line. "But it gained some traction after a food blogger 'discovered' it. I've been coming here for years; whenever I need to stop in for supplies, I always make a point to come for lunch."

"Do they only serve burgers?" Maya wondered, peering at the menu sign written in elegant chalk script. Raeger shook his head.

"Not at all. They only serve one burger- the best burger in town of course. But they have other things too. Their grilled chicken panini is my favourite, and their fries are to die for."

"Well I'll have whatever the chef recommends," Maya lightly bumped her hip against Raeger's, trusting in his judgement.

"And if I recommend me?" Raeger challenged, his flirtatious grin fading just as their turn to order arrived. Maya nodded to him, waiting patiently.

"One panini, one burger, an order of fries, and two chocolate milkshakes." Raeger rattled off, barely hesitating. The older gentleman behind the counter lit up when he recognized his voice, his scraggly grey beard parting to reveal a brilliant smile.

"Raeger!" He exclaimed, his voice just as rough as his facial hair, "Haven't seen you in a week or two. What've you been up to?"

"Spending some quality time with the love of my life," Raeger explained, pulling Maya against him. She whined, pushing him away just as quickly. "She doesn't realise it yet, but we're destined to be together."

The man's laughter shook the whole truck, startling one of his fellow cooks.

"You never change, do you?" He sighed, turning instead to Maya. "I'm Jed, what's your name little lady?"

"Maya," she answered with a smile, inclining her head politely, "it's nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to trying the best food in the city."

Jed gave Raeger a piercing glare, his furry brow crinkling above his small, brown eyes.

"How'd you get this one to hang out with the likes of you?" He accused, jabbing a pen in Raeger's direction. Raeger feigned insult, clasping his chest dramatically. "Trickery? Bribes? No way she's here just because she _wants_ to be."

"How dare you imply such a thing, Jed!" He cried out, throwing his free arm in the air. "I'll have you know I've worked tirelessly for her affection! I'll not have my honour questioned by some Santa Claus reject in a murder van."

Maya and Jed both burst into a fit of guffaws, even Raeger breaking character to stifle a giggle or two.

"How much do I owe you?" Raeger smiled, reaching for his wallet before Maya could. Jed shook his head, wiping away a stray tear from the corner of his eye.

"On the house this time, Raeger." He insisted, posting the order for the cooks to start working on. "That Santa Claus line was good. Better than your last three."

"I'll take it," Raeger shrugged, gesturing to the picnic tables scattered around. "Shall we sit, m' lady?"

"I'll get one of the boys to bring your food over when it's ready," Jed called after them, turning his attention to the next customer before Raeger or Maya could protest.

"He seems nice," she pointed out, seating herself across from Raeger at the picnic table. Raeger nodded in agreement, a fond smile playing at his lips.

"He's the best. I worked for him for a few summers back in high school. He didn't have the truck then, though. Owned a place called _Frederick's,_ after his dad. It closed down because of some stupid property dispute."

"Then he opened up the truck?" Maya guessed, her foot bumping accidentally against Raeger's under the table. He didn't seem to mind, letting the toe of his shoe rest against hers.

"It was about a year before he opened the truck," Raeger clarified, easing back. "A year too long if you ask me. The guy's way too good to not have his own kitchen."

"Well I can't wait to try it," Maya sighed, her stomach clenching in hunger. "You've hyped it up a lot, I hope Jed can put his money where your mouth is."

Raeger grinned, leaning forward on his elbows. The table was narrow, so the move brought his face much closer to Maya's than she'd been prepared for.

"If the food is any less than amazing," he whispered, a mischievous glint in his eye, "I'll kiss Fritz full on the mouth."

Maya blinked, processing his words for far too long before cracking up. The look Raeger was giving her made her think he was going somewhere else entirely with that sentiment… she hadn't been expecting a comical suggestion.

"Well I hope it's good, for your sake," she snickered, "from what I hear Fritz isn't the best kisser around."

The corner of Raeger's lip twitched again, that glint in his eyes never fading.

"For my sake?" he questioned, "you sure you wouldn't be jealous?"

"Jealous of you?" Maya scoffed, annoyance tickling the back of her mind as she remembered the incident where Fritz had tried to kiss her. "Hardly. I had my chance with Fritz, remember?"

Raeger laughed, breaking his intense gaze.

"I meant jealous of Fritz," he elaborated, a faint blush touching the skin of his neck. Maya's heart thumped. "But even if you were, there's no need to be. You can kiss me anytime you-"

"Order up!"

Maya and Raeger both jumped as one of Jed's cooks, a short, skinny man in a white apron, dropped their food on the table in front of them. Raeger recovered first, thanking the man and offering him a tip just as Maya was pulling herself together.

"This looks great," Raeger enthused, albeit nervously, taking a generous sip of his milkshake. "I hope you don't mind splitting the fries. I should've asked."

"No!" Maya exclaimed a bit too quickly, her nerves on edge. "No, splitting is fine. It's great, actually. Um, thank you."

Goddess, what was wrong with her? Maya absently picked up a fry, barely thinking about it as she popped it in her mouth. She was about to grab another one, simply for something to occupy her hands, when all of a sudden it hit her.

"Holy shit," she mumbled in shock. "These are amazing!"

Raeger laughed at her surprise, already beginning to pick at his panini.

"I told you so," he grinned, "Guess I won't be kissing Fritz after all."

"Too bad for Fritz," Maya shook her head, eying her burger more enthusiastically now. Burgers weren't usually her first choice, but this one looked nearly as good as the fries tasted. "You could always kiss him anyway, if you're really disappointed."

Raeger muttered something that she didn't quite hear, unable to wait any longer and digging into the food before her. They ate in relative silence, savouring the unexpectedly delicious meal.

It was nearly dark by the time they'd finished, and most of Jed's patrons had dispersed. Raeger stretched and tossed his napkin into a nearby bin, offering to take Maya's wrappers too.

"Well, I'm more than full," he announced happily, nodding in the direction of town. "Do you want to start heading home? I need to stop at the drugstore to grab a parcel I've been waiting on, but after that we can make our way to my place and watch a movie?"

"Sounds like the perfect end to the evening," Maya agreed wholeheartedly, standing and stretching her legs.

They made their way through the park, strolling leisurely, Maya's hand wrapped tightly in Raeger's. They talked and laughed, joked and jabbed, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. Maya hadn't felt so light in a long time- for once, she wasn't worried about anything. Not Eda, or the farm, or her feelings for Raeger. She was just happy. Blissfully, unequivocally happy.

Raeger led her through a series of back streets, stopping at an alley that looked like something someone could've died in. Maya scrunched her nose at it, noting the distinguishable garbage and empty crates scattered around.

"This is where you get your mail?" She questioned with noticeable distaste. Raeger snorted, pointing to a door just at the entrance of the alley, nearly blended into the brick.

"That's the back entrance to the drugstore," he explained, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. "The mail counter closes at five, but since I have such weird hours, the owner leaves anything for me on a separate counter and gave me a key so I can grab it when I need to. You know, since a lot of it is required to run my business."

Maya shook her head in disbelief.

"And he trusts you enough to do that?" She knew Raeger had a lot of friends, but she had no idea how well he was able to traverse the city. All of the little back alleys, interesting people, and alternate methods of getting what he needed. She was a little impressed.

"I've known him for years," Raeger explained, struggling with the rusted lock. It creaked in protest, giving way with a solid thwack. "You should probably stay out here though. He checks the cameras every morning and I'll get shit for bringing someone with me."

Maya glanced around the alley, but bit her tongue.

"I'll just be a minute," Raeger promised, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. Maya gave him a smile that didn't quite touch her eyes as he disappeared behind the ancient door. It swung shut with a solid clang, and suddenly Maya felt very cold.

"I'm being ridiculous," she told herself, walking a few paces and stopping in front of the cleanest section of wall she could find. She leaned against it, arms wrapped around her torso, and took in her surroundings.

They weren't that far from the road, really. Only a couple of meters out of sight of people walking past, not that there were many. The glow from the streetlamps edged into the mouth of the alley enough to illuminate most of it, and she would certainly see if someone decided to poke their head in here.

Maya took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. She was just being paranoid of course; her mother had put the fear of Goddess in her when she moved to the city, even gave her a rape whistle, and as much as Maya wanted to deny that her mother's ramblings had affected her, her pounding heart said otherwise.

Raeger would be back any second, and as soon as she saw him Maya knew she'd feel silly. Nothing terrible ever happened around here anyway. What was she afraid of?

"Hey."

Maya jumped a full foot away from the voice, her heart clamouring to escape her throat. She clutched her chest until her knuckles turned white, blinking in the direction of the voice.

"Sorry," a gruff looking man coughed in her direction. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Maya let out a gust of breath, mentally berating herself for her foolishness.

"No, no," she dismissed quickly, trying to slow her heart. "That wasn't your fault. Can I help you with something?"

The man stepped closer to her. He'd emerged from the back of the alley, where another entrance was hidden in shadow. Maya tried a smile, but the action felt brittle on her cold lips.

"I'm looking for the coffee shop," he explained, his eyes burrowing into hers. They were pale blue, and hard as ice. It was the only colour on him- his hair was grey, his clothes black and tattered. He looked homeless, or at least incredibly poor.

"Um, I think it's around the corner," Maya answered shyly, jabbing her thumb in the opposite direction. The man nodded, but made no motion to leave.

"You'll see it if you just follow the main road," Maya tried again, edging towards the door that Raeger had disappeared into. The man shifted too, inching forward and cutting off her path.

Maya's heartbeat was drowning out all other sound. She was so close to civilisation, so close to other people, and yet she felt so utterly alone.

"My boyfriend can give you better directions," she tried, hoping to intimidate him into leaving her alone. She was probably overreacting, but she didn't like the blank look he was giving her, "he's on his way back now. Should only be a second."

The man didn't falter. Either he didn't believe her, or he didn't care. Maya was almost at the door, but the man was closer to it than she was. If she wanted to reach Raeger before he cut her off entirely, she'd have to practically throw herself at him. Maybe if she just-

Faster than she could scream, the man reached out and wrapped his cold fingers around her wrist, yanking her further into the darkness of the alley. Maya struggled against him, trying desperately to strike him away.

"Shut up," he growled, and she realised she'd been screaming. She didn't listen, crying louder in the hopes that someone would hear.

"I said shut up," the man grumbled, sounding more annoyed than threatening. He threw her towards the brick wall, barely reacting as she slammed into it with a sickening thud.

"Leave me alone!" Maya commanded, striking out at him. Her knuckle clipped his bicep, but he simply readjusted his grip. She screamed again, kicking fiercely, refusing to give into him.

That was the worst thing she could do. If she stopped fighting, she would lose. If she just kept trying, there was at least a chance of-

Amidst her strangled yells, Maya heard the unmistakeable sound of a zipper being undone.

 **Ok, so I kind of lied a little about the super light chapter thing right at the end there… my bad.**

 **(Note for those of you triggered by sexual assault: there will be none of that in this story. Promise.)**

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	12. Hands off my Girl

**Hey everyone! Welcome back!**

 **Like I said in the last chapter, there will be no sexual assault in this story. I try to avoid it in all of my writing, and if it does happen, it's never in detail. Usually an implication or it happened in the past.**

 **Anyway, on with the show!**

Chapter 12: Hands Off My Girl

Man, what rotten luck.

Raeger slipped the keys back into his jeans pocket, running a hand through his hair. He was really counting on that shipment, and it was already two days late. He could manage, of course, but it was annoying.

More than that though, he needed an excuse to get away from Maya.

Not that he wanted to. As a matter of fact, he wanted quite the opposite. Today was the best date he'd ever had- Raeger was used to flirting, laughing, having fun, but he'd never been so comfortable with a woman before. Never so… happy. It took everything in him not to grab Maya and kiss her as hard as he could.

He needed a break, just a quick one, to get his thoughts together. Then he would be fine. He had to be.

Having accomplished what he said he would, Raeger made his way back to the door. Maya didn't look particularly happy about hanging out in an alley, so he didn't want to leave her there for longer than he had to.

She'd feel better when they were on their way home. The movie had been a spur of the moment decision, but Raeger was glad he made it. Normally, he hated leaving Maya's company. Right now? He'd do absolutely anything to spend more time with her.

He was falling, hard, and there was no denying that now.

Raeger shouldered the door open, schooling his features into his usual cheer, preparing a grand entrance speech, but the words turned to ash on his lips as he surveyed the scene in front of him.

At first, Raeger wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. Maya was there, of course, as he'd expected her to be. But there were tears streaming down her pale face, a scream on her red lips, and, most interestingly of all, a man pinning her to the wall of the alley.

There was a second, just one split second of shock, and then Raeger felt a rage like he'd never felt before bubble in his throat. Maya caught sight of him then, and her wild eyes blinked in what looked like relief as the man turned towards the sound of the door banging shut.

"What the fuck?" The man cursed. He was older, in his fifties at least, but he was wiry and strong. He shoved Maya away from him, sending her sprawling to the ground. Raeger lunged to catch her, only managing to grab her hand before her knees collided with the pavement. She cried out in pain, her fingernails digging into the skin of Raeger's outstretched hand.

Raeger saw her scarf in a dirty puddle, her teal clutch thrown against the opposite wall.

Her sweater askew.

As calmly as he could, he helped Maya to her feet. Gingerly, every movement slow and deliberate, taking care to position her as far out of harm's way as he could, planting himself directly between her and the man. Once she had her balance, Raeger turned.

He hadn't meant to punch him. Not at first, anyway, but the quiet whimpering that was coming from the woman behind him fueled a protective instinct so powerful that Raeger felt he had no choice. Before he could stop himself, his fist was crunching against the man's jaw.

"Fuck!" The man hollered, cradling his face between his two hands. "You little fucking-!"

Everything happened so fast after that. Raeger barrelled into the bastard, shoving him against the wall. The man tried to swing back, but Raeger was faster- or angrier, he wasn't quite sure- and instead of making contact, he only succeeded in knocking himself to the ground.

Maya cried out for them to stop, and if it wasn't for her panicked voice, Raeger wasn't sure he would've been able to. As it was, the fear in her hoarse cry reminded him that he had more important things to attend to- like getting her the fuck away from here.

Raeger stood, giving the man a hard kick as he tried to follow, and grabbed Maya's purse and scarf. He handed them to her, wrapping his arms securely around her shoulders, and led her out of the alley and back onto the street.

They walked a solid block before either of them spoke, Maya trying to quell her sniffles, Raeger trying to calm his fury.

"Wait," Maya hiccupped eventually, pulling Raeger to a stop. He brought up as soon as he heard her voice, almost like he'd forgotten she was there. He turned to her, took in her fearful expression, and pulled her into the fiercest hug he could.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured into her hair, rocking her gently in his embrace. "Maya I'm so sorry."

She shook her head against his chest, her hands pressed flat against his torso. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs as Raeger held her, his hands brushing soothingly through her hair.

"Thank you," Maya whispered, collecting herself as much as she could. "If you hadn't- I don't know what I would've- what _he_ would've-"

"Hey," Raeger hushed, leaning back to look her in the eye. "It's ok. I would never have let anything-"

Except he did, didn't he?

Raeger bit back his words, an overwhelming guilt mixing with the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

None of this would've happened if Raeger hadn't left Maya alone to check on that stupid parcel. He shouldn't have left her there. He should've brought her inside. Fuck getting in trouble, nothing he avoided was worth putting Maya through-

"Raeger?"

He hadn't realised his eyes were closed. He forced them open, startled to find their faces much closer together than he'd thought they were. There was a moment of clarity, one that told Raeger that if he didn't do something, and do something _right now_ , then he never would.

Raeger's lips crashed into Maya's taking her breath away in a startled gasp.

She wasn't sure why they were kissing, but it hardly mattered to her. Raeger tangled his fingers in her hair, securing her to him, and deepened the kiss with an aggressive tongue. Maya whimpered, wrapping her fingers in his jacket.

What happened? One moment she was frightened for her life, the next she was clinging desperately to her rescuer, and now they were kissing. If Raeger's mouth didn't taste so damn good, her head would be reeling.

All too soon, Raeger broke free of her, taking two overcompensatingly large steps backwards, nearly tripping into the road.

"Jesus," he cursed, pushing his hands through his thick hair. Both of their chests were heaving, the cold night air burning Maya's throat as she tried to catch her breath. "I- I'm so sorry, Maya, I-"

As her heart began to slow, Maya realised she'd been pressed firmly against the side of the building they were passing. She peeled herself away from the brick, her hair and the fabric of her sweater catching on the rough surface.

"I don't know what came over me," Raeger was mumbling, his hair standing wild atop his head. Maya was barely listening, her lips tingling with the remnants of the consuming kiss. "I didn't mean to- I was just so worked up when I saw him with you and I-"

He stopped again, feeling rage bubbling in his throat. Images of the scumbag with his hands on Maya's waist flooded his mind, making him see red. Raeger squeezed his eyes shut, his fists trembling.

He'd wanted to do so much more than hit the guy. Raeger had wanted to destroy him, make him suffer for the disgusting way he treated his girl. But that was just the problem, wasn't it? Maya wasn't Raeger's girl. And yet he'd acted like a football player on steroids in a seedy bar, picking a fight with the leering guy in the corner of the room. And then he'd kissed Maya, without asking her. Hell, he was no better than the fucker he'd just condemned.

Lost in his turmoil, Raeger started when Maya's palms found his cheeks. His eyes flew open, only to find her hovering mere inches from his face. A deep blush spread across his skin.

"Stop it," she whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming. Raeger swallowed another surge of anger. "It's okay."

Maya's gentle touch traced the line of his jaw to his hairline, her fingers tugging the sensitive strands on the back of his neck. Raeger sighed, his eyes closing again and giving into the soothing sensation just as she pressed her soft lips against his.

A quiet sound escaped the back of his throat, returning kiss after kiss as if she were his very life force. Maya pressed herself against Raeger's body, his arms encompassing her waist and securing her in his embrace. They kissed again and again, soft, gentle kisses that he began to feather over her neck and collarbone, stopping only when her breathing began to hitch.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, his lips hovering against the flushed skin of her neck. Maya nodded, her hands sliding down Raeger's chest and gripping his jacket once again. Her heart was pounding nearly as loudly as his.

"Thank Christ," he sighed, releasing the valve on the breath he'd been holding. His shoulders were tensed with a possessive anger that scared him, but he felt himself relaxing the longer he held Maya in his arms. She was here. She was safe.

"Take me home, please?" Maya asked quietly, trying to calm herself. Raeger's kiss lingered, much like it had the last time they'd kissed so passionately. She was having trouble clearing her head, but she knew one thing. All Maya wanted was to be in Raeger's room, wrapped in his embrace- it didn't matter what they were doing. She just wanted to be close to him.

"Of course," Raeger nodded, pulling away from Maya at last. It nearly hurt him to do so, but he needed to adjust his hold on her while they walked. There was no way in hell he was letting her out of his sight until they were safely back home.

.

"Do you want anything before I lie down?"

Raeger folded Maya's scarf gingerly over the recliner in the corner of his bedroom. He'd been on edge since they left the city, every muscle and nerve in his body taut and sore. Maya hadn't fared much better- she was shaking the entire walk home, and now she curled herself into a ball on his bed.

She shook her head in answer to his question, rubbing her knee with her palm.

"Want me to look at it?" Raeger offered, nodding to her leg. Again, Maya shook her head.

Raeger's heart thumped. He felt like more than a fish out of water- like a fish out of water who'd been asked to drive a transport truck. He had no idea what to do, what he _could_ do. He wanted to help, that much was clear, but… how?

Maya's shoulders shuddered, and it was like a light bulb went on in his head.

Raeger made his way over to the bed and sat beside her, pulling his shoes off with as much care as he could. Maya watched him, almost emotionlessly, as he arranged the bed to his liking. When he was satisfied, he laid back against the pillows and held his arms open to her.

She fell against him almost immediately, and Raeger smiled. He'd finally done something right.

Maya buried herself in his embrace, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. Raeger wound his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. Should he say something? Words of encouragement? Of comfort? He peered down at her quizzically. No, nothing at all was probably better.

They stayed like that for a long time, long enough that Raeger's leg started to fall asleep. He didn't want to move though. Maya had stopped shaking, and he wasn't about to ruin it for the sake of his own comfort.

"Raeger?"

Maya's soft voice caught him off guard. He tilted his chin down a bit too quickly and came nose to nose with her, her glossy eyes blinking back at him in surprise.

"Sorry," he murmured, a quiver in his throat. Being this close, he couldn't help but remember the taste of her, the way her touch brought his body to life. It would be so easy to kiss her again; so, so damn easy…

His lips brushed hers almost lazily. Not quite a kiss, just a light caress. Raeger's heart jolted- he hadn't meant to do that- but Maya didn't pull away. Her eyes darted from his to their touching lips, and then she kissed him back.

It was a gentle kiss, not much more than a chaste peck, but it was so much heavier than that. Raeger ventured another, deeper this time, and harder. Maya responded in kind, and soon they were beginning to trail their hands over one another, neither bothering to stop and think about what they were doing.

Until, that is, one of them did.

"This… uh," Raeger swallowed, his fingers absently toying with her curls. They fell against his skin like angel wings, tickling him in the most delightful way. "This doesn't mean anything… does it?"

"No," Maya answered too quickly, hating the dismissal but afraid to ruin the moment. "No, it doesn't."

"Okay," Raeger nodded, the answer both relieving him and forming a knot in his stomach. He forced himself not to think too hard, pulling Maya's lips back to his in a sweet, lingering kiss.

A soft sigh escaped her throat as she leaned into him, all the tension her body melting away under his touch. Raeger's hands slid slowly down the curve of her spine, over her hips, resting just below the swell of her rear. Wherever his palms trailed they left a stream of tingling warmth, and Maya found herself tightening her grip on his jacket.

With a gentle push, Raeger rolled them, keeping his hands on the backs of Maya's thighs to steady her. She fit beneath him so damn perfectly- just small enough that he had to hold some of his own weight not to hurt her. She writhed against him, adjusting herself and getting comfortable as their breathing got faster and their kissing grew deeper.

It was suddenly too hot to keep his jacket on. Raeger leaned up just enough to shrug out of it, Maya leaning with him so as not to break their string of heated kisses. After a suspenseful minute his arms were free again, and his hands immediately went back to her skin, like a magnet.

She was so soft. He cursed under his breath, his palms finding her hips and working their way down the smooth fabric of her jeans. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, but it didn't matter for now. Her kiss was sweet and intoxicating, and her body was warm and alive and sparking beneath his fingertips.

Their kiss broke so they could both catch their breath, Raeger's mouth inching slowly down the slope of Maya's neck, settling in the hollow above her collarbone. A soft gasp met his ears as he began to suckle, praying that he could make her do that again.

"Raeger," Maya sighed breathily, her fingers tangling in his hair. She let her head fall back against his pillow, revelling in the sensations coursing through her body. This wasn't like the drunken time they'd almost had sex- heated, desperate, sudden. No, this was gentle, loving, and slow, comforting in ways she never thought physical touch could be before.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Raeger mumbled, reluctant to take his lips away from her skin. His right palm found the back of her thigh again, coaxing it up and over his hip, settling himself between her legs in the closest way he could manage. She molded to him, raising her hips to meet his in a gentle thrust. Raeger groaned.

"How far are we going?" She asked, tracing delicate patterns across his flushed skin. Raeger thought about it for a moment; he wanted nothing more than to go all the way- he'd never been this close with her before- but something made him pause. Would that be best? Not just for him, but for Maya too?

"How far do you want to go?" He asked instead, his lips now pressed against her ear. Maya shuddered, feeling a wave of desire wash over her.

"How far do I _want_ to go or how far do I think we _should_ go?" She fired back, fighting the urge to grind herself against the growing stiffness in Raeger's jeans.

"Are they two different answers?" Maya felt Raeger's smirk against her skin, flushing as she pictured what kind of thoughts must be running through his mind.

With all the strength she could muster, Maya placed her palm against Raeger's cheek and guided his face back to hers.

"I like it when you kiss me," she whispered honestly, satisfied when her confession resulted in him doing just that. Raeger's tongue caressed hers, muddling her thoughts and lighting a fire under her skin.

"Then I'll kiss you," Raeger promised, his words muffled by the action, "until you tell me to stop."

Maya was reminded again of the last time they did this, the night of Raeger's party. He'd said something similar to her then, promising to hold her close throughout the night, never letting her go until she told him to. At the time, she hadn't taken him seriously. Now…

His hips pushed into her, involuntarily she guessed, as a startled moan escaped her throat. She could feel his want for her pulsating between her thighs, and the need to rub herself against it almost overtook her completely. Raeger sensed her hesitation though, and pulled his hips back.

"Maybe that's a bit too much for right now?" He smiled, pushing Maya's hair away from her face. She nodded, her lips swollen from kissing, her eyes hooded with arousal. Raeger's stomach tightened; he wanted her so damn badly, but he knew it wasn't right. They were both still a little uncertain, and the last thing he wanted was for Maya to look back on their time together as a mistake.

But he couldn't resist just one last brush of their lips.

Raeger poured everything he could into that kiss- every thought that was coursing through his mind, every feeling he had for her, everything he wanted.

 _Please don't regret this._

 _You're so beautiful._

 _I need you so much._

 _I wanted this night to last forever._

 _Please don't pull away from me._

 _You mean so much to me._

 _Please._

"I love you," Raeger whispered against her lips, fear gripping his heart as soon as the words left him. Maya didn't react, and he soon realised that he'd been too quiet, the sentiment coming out as only a faint murmur in a string of heated breaths.

"I should go cool off," he said instead, finally pulling himself away from Maya. She nodded, agreeing that was a good idea, and volunteering herself to do the same in the second bathroom downstairs.

"No," Raeger smiled, "you take mine. I'll go downstairs."

Maya wanted to argue, but her emotions were in such a state that she didn't know what to say so she simply accepted his proposal and disappeared into the small room.

When the door locked behind her, it hit her all at once what they'd just done.

"Oh God," Maya groaned, burying her face in her hands. What the hell was she thinking? The night had escalated so fast- the kiss in the city, and then back here at the restaurant, and then they were on the bed, and everything felt so good and so right and-

Where did she go wrong? Or _did_ she go wrong? She loved Raeger, she knew that now without a shadow of a doubt, and maybe this little episode meant there was hope for them yet. Maybe this didn't have to mean nothing, maybe it could mean something.

And if it didn't? Would she be ok with that?

Maya thought back to how she'd felt while they were entangled with each other, how she'd felt being caught in Raeger's embrace. She suddenly realised she was smiling, her heart just as warm and full as it had been moments ago.

Yes, she decided firmly, even if this meant nothing at all, she would be perfectly okay with that.

.

He wasn't sure exactly when she'd fallen asleep, but it was before he'd returned from the bathroom. Raeger had ascended the stairs to find Maya, having borrowed a T-shirt of his and a pair of loose boxers, curled snugly in his bed. It was the cutest damn thing he'd ever seen.

Not quite tired himself, Raeger slipped into bed beside her and turned on the TV. He wasn't watching it really, just giving himself some time to process what had happened tonight. He wasn't planning on doing what they did, it just sort of… started. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Being with Maya felt better than anything else he'd ever done. They fit together like perfect puzzle pieces, and he prayed that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Maya hadn't seemed upset when he left, and she certainly didn't feel the urge to turn tail and run, so that had to be a good sign, right?

Raeger smiled to himself, fighting the residual fear hovering at the back of his mind and instead pawing for the remote while trying not to disturb his slumbering friend.

Raeger's mouth twisted into a dissatisfied frown. Thinking of Maya as only his friend felt wrong. He couldn't begin to guess what they actually were, but 'platonic' was becoming increasingly harder to argue for, especially after tonight.

His fingers grasped the remote- which had slipped under the bed- and Raeger turned the television off. In the newly blackened room, Raeger struggled for his eyes to adjust until he could make out the faint outline of Maya's peaceful features in the dark.

The frown on his face quickly faded, replaced with a fond smile. Her fingers were caught in his shirt, clinging to him, with her nose pressed tightly against his chest. Raeger found himself wishing morning would never come, so they could stay like this as long as they wanted.

Collecting Maya securely in his embrace, Raeger attempted to relax his racing heart enough to sleep. More and more he was afraid that Maya would notice how quickly his heart pounded when she was close to him, but to his knowledge she hadn't yet.

Raeger was in love with his best friend. If he didn't know it before, which he did, then the feelings that coursed through him tonight proved it. The thought bothered him, maybe more than it should've. He wasn't opposed to falling in love, after all. It was new, and he didn't expect it to happen so soon, but he'd always pictured falling hard for someone one day, falling hard enough to make an honest man out of him. He only wished it was with someone that actually loved him back.

But, didn't she? She certainly acted like she did. Maybe-

Raeger sighed, stealing one more glance at Maya's face. The corners of her lips were upturned in a soft smile, giving her the impression of a sleeping angel.

And just as quickly as it came, the hope in his heart died. Maya twitched in her sleep, maybe dreaming, maybe not, but the brief scrunch of her nose triggered a memory in him. His mind flashed to another expression on her face, one far less sweet.

He remembered her face when he said Iris's name.

He remembered her face on the morning of Eda's passing.

He remembered her face when he rejected her.

He remembered her face in the alley.

Raeger remembered each and every ounce of pain he'd seen in Maya's eyes, and each and every time, he'd been at the root.

His heart jumped into his throat. Raeger caused Maya nothing but pain; he hurt her so much, so many times. Why did he think he could be a good boyfriend? Why did he think he could make her happy? He'd done everything but.

The blood chilled in his veins. After everything- everything that happened between them- Raeger could never deserve Maya's love. He was too inexperienced, too afraid. He didn't trust himself, and if he couldn't trust himself, how could he ask Maya to?

The simple answer? He couldn't.

Raeger's nose began to sting. He fought it back, burying his face in the sweet scent of Maya's hair. If this was the last time he could hold her like this, he'd have to savour it. He could never abandon her, _would_ never abandon her, but it was about time he stepped aside and let Maya be happy- truly happy- with someone who could give her the world.

He never should've pushed her away from Klaus.

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	13. Into the Flame

**Hey everyone!**

 **Sorry for the delayed chapter this week, I got a new tattoo on my wrist and it made editing a little difficult.**

 **But here it is! Two days behind schedule, and rearing to go!**

Chapter 13: Into the Flame

Maya couldn't quite remember how she'd ended up in Raeger's bed at first, wearing Raeger's clothes, smelling of his cologne, but the conclusion was pretty obvious.

She stretched, a faint blush colouring her cheeks, until she tried to move her injured knee and remembered the events of yesterday with a hard jolt.

Oh. The obviously _wrong_ conclusion, then.

Maya fought against the vague sense of disappointment that followed her realisation, and instead searched the room for Raeger. He was nowhere to be seen- no phone, no wallet, no keys… had he gone out somewhere?

Maya struggled to sit up. Her knee was only scraped and bruised, but it hurt to move. She floundered for a little while, until her feet were safely on the floor and she stood.

Raeger's T-shirt hung off her tiny frame, the hem falling to her thighs. She hugged the fabric around her, loving the way it smelled and felt. Last night may not have gone exactly as she thought it had, but as Maya lifted her bag and made her way to the bathroom, she remembered the taste of Raeger's kiss.

Her heart fluttered wildly.

The bathroom was empty too, so Raeger must be downstairs or out. That was just as well, Maya needed some time to clean up and think.

She hadn't felt this good in a long time. It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders the moment Raeger kissed her, even with the lingering sourness from her run-in in the alley.

Maya doused herself in hot water, pawing blindly for Raeger's shampoo. It reminded her of his cologne, woodsy and clean.

The smile on her lips was only threatened by her worry over where Raeger had disappeared to. It wasn't like him to just leave her, especially when they'd been so intimate the night before. Maya couldn't squelch the speck of doubt that had taken root in her stomach. She was probably overreacting, but she would feel a lot better if she found Raeger.

She quickly finished her shower and changed, donning a pair of clothes that she usually kept in her bag for emergencies. Her phone was on the bedside table and as she reached for it, she heard the unmistakeable sound of people in the restaurant.

What time was it?

Maya checked her phone in newfound panic, her stomach leaping into her throat when she realised she'd slept until nearly noon. The animals would be furious with her. She had to get back to her farm.

Purse in hand, and everything else out of mind, Maya bolted down the stairs and into Raeger's kitchen.

She didn't have time to think about the people staring at her, no doubt wondering why she'd come from Raeger's room. The villagers already talked about them, this was nothing new. Besides, after yesterday, Maya wasn't so sure they were wrong.

Raeger wasn't in the main part of the restaurant, or behind the counter, meaning he must be in the kitchen. Maya skirted around a pair of startled tourists, sliding into the kitchen at breakneck speed.

"Raeger- I have to-"

Maya stopped short. Raeger was there, alright, just as she suspected he'd be. She was about to tell him that she had to go, that she'd be back later, but what she saw surprised her into silence.

Raeger was bent over the counter, his chef's apron crooked, his skin the colour of sour milk. He barely reacted when she stumbled into the kitchen, not even glancing up to see who had entered his space. Raeger was usually really protective of his kitchen, not even letting her in there until they were well along in their friendship.

"Raeger?" she repeated, her throat dry. He did look up at her this time, blinking as though it took him a second to recognise her.

"Oh, hey Maya."

Maya rushed over to him, her palms flying to his cheeks. Raeger again didn't react, like his nervous system was on a serious delay. Maya frowned, pressing her wrist to his forehead. He was burning up.

"Are you okay?" She demanded, a crease forming between her eyebrows. She didn't like the feeble smile he gave her, the tired bags encrusting his eyes. Raeger nodded, a deep yawn briefly marring his face.

"A little under the weather I think," he admitted, glancing down at the cooktop. He jumped, almost as if he forgot he was cooking something. The omelet before him looked a little less than his usual standards.

"You look like death," Maya countered, noting the sweat sticking to the back of his neck. "Why'd you open today?"

"I don't have the luxury of closing up every time I come down with something," Raeger shrugged, as if this were obvious. He flipped the omelet onto a plate, garnished it, and made to bring it out to the waiting table.

"Hold on!" Maya exclaimed, grabbing his sleeve. Raeger looked unsteady on his feet simply standing there, she didn't want to risk him walking out into the restaurant and tripping. "Let me take it, you go back up to bed. I'll just tell everyone you're not feeling well and-"

"No!" Raeger pleaded, his voice hoarse. Maya raised an eyebrow at him.

"Raeger, you're sick…"

"I have more orders to fill," he argued, gesturing to the tickets before him. "I can't just throw them out. That would be unprofessional."

There wasn't a hint of teasing in any of his words, and that's when Maya understood that he was really, _really_ sick. He hadn't joked with her once since he'd seen her, nor had he mentioned last night at all, and that worried her.

She looked from the omelet, back to Raeger, and then to the door.

"Alright," she sighed, chewing her lip. She wanted Raeger to go back to bed, but she knew from experience that fighting him on topics regarding the restaurant was damn near impossible. She took the plate from him, holding it aloft.

"I'll help you clear these orders," Maya informed him, nodding to the stack of receipts, "but I'm flipping the 'Open' sign, and you're not taking any more customers today. Deal?"

Raeger hesitated. She knew what he was thinking, but frankly she didn't care. A sick person shouldn't be making food anyway.

"Okay," he agreed after a pause, turning back to the cooktop. Maya let out her breath, leaving him to his work as she approached the customers.

The fact that he agreed so easily wasn't a good sign either.

There were about six tables to serve before Raeger could lie down. Luckily, some only wanted pastries and ice cream, things Maya could get herself and not bother the chef, but for the more complicated orders Maya found herself watching Raeger like a hawk. His movements were slow and jittery, his balance off, his flourishes sloppy, but he got every plate out in a mostly timely manner. Maya was waving the last customer off, settling the bill, when he finally emerged from the kitchen.

"Upstairs." Maya didn't bother greeting him. Raeger was dead on his feet, he needed to lie down as soon as possible. She clicked the register shut and turned, just in time to see his head dip.

"Raeger!" Maya cried, lunging forward to catch him. Raeger swayed and his knees buckled, tipping forward towards the floor. Maya broke his fall, taking the brunt of his weight into her arms.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his tongue thick in his mouth. That was the last word he got out before unconsciousness overtook him.

Maya sighed, shaking her head in disapproval once the initial fright wore off. It took every ounce of her strength, but she managed to drag Raeger upstairs and into his bed before he woke again.

How had he gotten this sick? Maya tried to think if there'd been any signs the day before. He'd coughed a handful of times, and he perhaps had complained briefly about a headache… but nothing to indicate this level of ailment. She frowned, brushing his damp hair away from his face.

Hanako would be getting angrier by the minute, but Maya wasn't too worried. The cow had plenty of regular feed to get her by, and the dogs could always let her out if need be. Her crops would need some serious watering when she returned, but she could hardly leave Raeger like this.

Maya pursed her lips. She was trying not to think about what happened between them yesterday, but the soft curve of his lips kept reminding her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so whole, so happy. It made her wonder why she'd been fighting her feelings all this time.

Suddenly everything seemed so superficial. Every worry she'd had, every doubt, every hesitation, faded to inconsequential specks in the back of her mind. Her feelings for Klaus felt like another lifetime, Raeger's relationship with Iris was nothing but a distant memory. Maya was in love with Raeger, and maybe it was about time she told him. Maybe not while he was catatonic, but sooner rather than later.

He groaned in his sleep, startling her.

Maya jumped up to get a glass of water, in case he was waking. Her mother always told her that fluids were important in recovering from any sickness, and she'd taken the advice to heart. By the time she returned to the bed, Raeger's eyes were blinking open.

"Holy shit you scared me," Maya huffed, seating herself on the bed next to him. Raeger struggled to focus, his gaze drifting around the room until his eyes found hers. He smiled, making her stomach flip.

"Hey," he rasped, fighting to sit up. Maya helped him, if only so he could drink. "You're still here."

"Of course I'm still here," Maya scoffed, offering him the glass. He took it and drank eagerly, soothing his burning throat. "You passed out. The only way I was leaving was to go get Marian."

"Sorry about that," Raeger laughed sheepishly, already feeling a bit more like himself. He was embarrassed that Maya had seen him so weak, but it couldn't be helped now. "I don't know what came over me. I woke up this morning and I felt terrible."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Maya pouted, pressing her fingers to Raeger's forehead. He was still warm, but not burning up like he had been before.

"I didn't want to worry you," he assured her, laying back down. Maya shook her head. "Besides, you went through enough yesterday. I can handle a little cold."

"You helped me a lot yesterday," Maya pointed out, "the least I can do is help you too."

Raeger forced a smile.

"I'm used to taking care of myself, Mia," he insisted, meaning for the gesture to be reassuring, but he saw Maya's frown deepen.

"So what if you're used to it?" Maya challenged, rooting through her bag for some Advil, "that doesn't mean you have to keep it up forever."

"I mean, I've been doing it for a long time," he continued, trying to make it better. Too late he realised he'd said the wrong thing, but he couldn't turn back now. Maya already caught what he'd said.

"How long?" she pushed, dabbing at the sweat around his neck with a tissue. Raeger gave himself over to the gentle pampering for a moment, letting his eyes close again.

"As long as I can remember, I guess," Raeger shrugged.

Maya didn't like the implication of that.

"Even when you were a kid?" She imagined a young Raeger, coughing and weak, with no one there to care for him. The image made her want to cry.

"My mom was really busy," Raeger defended, afraid to open his eyes and see Maya's face. "My grandfather was a great person, but he was older. He could barely take care of himself and the restaurant, let alone me. They tried to hide how much crap they were dealing with, but kids are way smarter than anyone thinks they are. I always knew when they were having a hard time.

"And I mean, it's not like I could do much. I was little. I couldn't work or do many chores, so I felt pretty useless most of the time. One thing I could do was take care of myself, so whenever I was feeling gross, I kept it pretty quiet."

Maya felt a hard pit form in her stomach. Whenever she got sick, the only thing she wanted was for someone to be there, to hug her, to tell her everything was going to be fine. For Raeger to not have that… to never have had that…

"Not even any of your girlfriends?" She had to press. There must've been somebody. "Iris?"

Raeger snorted.

"Iris doesn't have a caring bone in her body," he laughed, then realised how harsh it sounded. "I mean, she's a wonderful person, but she's not exactly the TLC type. And I don't really get sick much, so I was never with anyone else long enough. Not that I would've told them anyway."

"That's…" Maya paused, chewing her lip, "really sad, Raeger. I mean, I don't mean that offensively. I just mean that I know what it feels like to have someone taking care of you, and I can't imagine being lonely when you need someone the most."

"Lonely is kind of like my default setting," Raeger laughed, trying in vain to lighten the mood. Sensing the tension in Maya's silence, Raeger hurried on.

"It's not like I mind or anything," he clarified, pausing to cough. "I've always been fine on my own. But I have to admit, it's been… nice, having you here. Kind of reminds me of what I've been missing, you know?"

He was blushing now, he was sure of it. Maya smiled sadly to herself. She'd never known how lonely his childhood had been.

"Wow," Raeger laughed nervously, pushing his hand through his damp hair. "That got real, didn't it? Sorry."

Embarrassment rushed through him as he replayed what he'd said over in his mind. Raeger rarely let himself slip up like that, and the mistake was eating him alive. Maya was helping him out of the kindness of her heart, she didn't need to hear a sob story.

Raeger turned his face away, staring at the window with the same fake smile stuck to his lips. Maybe if he changed the topic, he could still salvage-

Maya's palm pressed gently against his cheek, the warmth from her skin startling him.

"Raeger," she coaxed softly, guiding his gaze back to her. Raeger blinked at her encouraging smile, her kind eyes. "You don't have to hide things from me, you know."

Did he know? Raeger swallowed heavily, fighting the dizziness swaying his thoughts. Of course he knew that. Maya was the only person in the whole world he could be himself with. He wouldn't dream of hiding things from her.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly, "force of habit, I guess."

Maya shook her head, tenderly rubbing her thumb across his flushed skin.

"I wish you wouldn't be so stubborn," she sighed, oblivious to the way his heart pounded at her touch. "If you need help, you can always ask me. Everyone needs to be taken care of sometimes. Even you."

Raeger closed his eyes, too afraid to watch Maya's reaction to his next words. They were flowing freely now, the fever loosening his tongue.

"You're the only person I ever want to take care of me," he whispered, sincerity dripping from every word. "As selfish as that is. If it were up to me? I'd steal you away and keep you all to myself for the rest of my life."

Silence met his confession, and Raeger felt a wave of nausea. He wasn't sure if it was the sickness or the intense panic flooding his veins, but the urge to collapse was suddenly so overwhelming that he couldn't lift his head to look at the damage he'd done. Maybe-

"Do you really mean that?"

Maya's quiet words startled him. Raeger opened his eyes to find her staring at him, hesitation written across her face.

"Of course I do," he swore, struggling to sit up in bed. Maya helped him, until their faces were much closer than they'd been before. Raeger took her hands in his, clutching them to his chest. "Damnit Maya, I don't know how else to prove it to you."

"Prove… what?" Maya prompted, sudden hope sparking in her eyes.

"I-" Raeger choked, his heart seizing in his chest. What was he doing? He'd just decided against this path, and now here he was, spilling his guts. His resolve faltered; the heavy cloud in his brain providing a cushion between his heart and his rationale.

Whatever came out of his mouth now was anyone's guess.

"Maya, I need you," Raeger mumbled, his words slurring with fatigue. "I can't imagine my life without you. Whenever you're gone, I feel so cold and I can't explain why. All I want right now is to pull you into this bed with me and stay here for as long as I can, holding you and just feeling you next to me. I've never wanted that before, and it scares the hell out of me, and what's worse is that it can never happen."

The hope that had been in Maya's eyes faltered, sparking a surge of fear in Raeger's chest.

"It… can't?"

"No! Don't you understand?" Raeger groaned, falling back onto the bed. His heart was beating hard, his head swirling with thoughts that he barely understood. "I can't do it! I I'm not- this isn't- it's just not going to work."

Maya fell silent, her expression as blank as a new sheet of paper.

"Klaus." Raeger mumbled, feeling his consciousness waver. "You should be with Klaus. He can handle you much better than I can."

" _Handle_ me?" Maya repeated, fury slipping into the word. Raeger immediately understood his slip, scrambling to re-word the sentiment.

"No! I mean, yes, but like, not in the bad way, you know?" His head pounded, reminding him of how sick he was. "I mean he's like an adult-adult, but I'm not even like a half adult, you know? And you need an adult-adult. Klaus can take care of you and-"

"I don't _need_ someone to take care of me, Raeger." Maya snapped, standing so quickly that her chair tipped. She could barely understand him, but the sentiment was clear: he wasn't interested. "But if that's how you feel, then okay I guess. Maybe I'll stop at Klaus's on my way home."

"Wait, what?" Raeger grumbled, furrowing his brow. She was leaving? What did he say?

"Goodnight, Raeger." Maya said flatly, gathering her things as swiftly as she could. Tears were hovering just behind her lids and she couldn't bear to be in that room any longer. "I hope you feel better."

Before he could formulate a response, Maya fled the restaurant.

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	14. Kiss Me

**Hey everyone! Welcome back!**

 **We've reached the official end of Into the Flame. I think I'll add an epilogue chapter after this, but for now this is the final chapter!**

 **Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey!**

 **(!Lemon Warning!)**

Chapter 14: Kiss Me

What had he done?

Raeger slammed a plate down far too hard, startling the lone customer he'd gotten for lunch. He paid for his meal and sat down as far from the crooked chef as he could, inhaling his food. Raeger felt a twinge of guilt, but nothing was worse than the disgusting pit of regret in his stomach.

What had he _done_?

His phone had been blowing up all morning. Texts from Corona, flying hot and fierce. She was appalled at him. She couldn't believe the things- the _lies-_ he'd told Maya yesterday. She'd even stormed through the restaurant, verbally berating him until he had to open. The carpenter's wife left in a blaze of fury, ranting about how imbecilic men could be.

Raeger hadn't argued a single thing.

He felt like dirt. Worse than dirt- his cold hadn't quite receded, so he felt like sick dirt. The one thing he'd made perfectly clear was that he never wanted to hurt Maya, and what had he done? Exactly that. He'd hurt her, broken her trust, and when she'd been so kind to him too… Raeger was gripped in a deep, icy fear. He wasn't sure their friendship would survive this.

Not only had he pushed the woman of his dreams into the arms of another man, but he'd lost the best friend he's ever had.

 _0 for 2, Raeger old buddy. Want to try for 3? Strike and you're out!_

The chef threw his dishtowel onto the counter, whipping it against the stainless steel. He shouldn't have opened today, he knew. But what else could he do? He couldn't very well go see Maya. She'd been ignoring him since yesterday.

Raeger yanked his phone out of his pocket and checked his messages, as if to prove himself wrong. There was another heated one from Corona, but every single one of the 43 texts he'd sent to Maya were left unanswered.

She hated him, she had to.

This is exactly what he'd been afraid of. Raeger was terrible with relationships; he cared about Maya so much, he didn't want to subject her to the pain he'd cause her if they dated. He didn't know what to do, what to say; he'd never loved someone as much as he loved her. Terror shook his very core, and when Maya had said those wonderful things yesterday… well, he'd done what he does best.

"Fuck up," Raeger whispered harshly. "Colossal, earth-shattering fuck up."

"I hope you're not referring to the food?"

Raeger whipped around, having not heard the door. The first customer was long gone, the bare minimum of a tip left on the table. Raeger blinked at the new arrival, taking far longer than he liked to process what he was seeing.

A tall perfumer in a green suit stood before him, smiling pleasantly.

 _Well fuck me,_ Raeger thought bitterly, _just who I wanted to see._

"Good afternoon Klaus," Raeger plastered a warm smile on his face, masking his displeasure. "Here for some lunch?"

"Just a coffee, thanks," he dipped his chin, taking a seat at the bar. Great. That meant Raeger would be standing in front of him for the duration of his visit. He tried to muffle his exasperated sigh.

"Not much traffic today, I see." Klaus mused, folding his hands delicately in front of him. Raeger silently pleaded for him not to speak, to leave him to his work, but he knew it was in vain. Klaus was a nice guy. Nice guys liked to talk.

"Pretty boring around here, yup." Raeger agreed, trying not to sound curt. It wasn't Klaus's fault he was in a sour mood, after all.

"I'm sure it'll pick up soon," Klaus insisted. Raeger nodded in agreement, glancing at the clock. Christ, was it 2 already?

"Actually, I'm rather relieved we're the only two here," Klaus continued, eyes darting to the door. "I was hoping to discuss something with you."

Raeger lifted his head, brewing the coffee by muscle memory. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I saw Maya this morning."

Raeger nearly dropped the mug.

"Oh."

It wasn't as if it was… surprising. Klaus and Maya were friends, after all, good friends. She was bound to see him every now and again. But after what he said to her yesterday… Raeger felt Klaus's words cut deep. It hurt. Hurt more than he wanted to admit.

"She seemed incredibly upset," Klaus murmured, sensing the coldness in Raeger's tense stance. "I couldn't help but wonder if you knew something about it."

Raeger bit his lip, focusing too hard on stirring.

The two men sat in silence while Raeger worked, ignoring Klaus's question. Yes, of course he knew something about it. He had a feeling that Klaus knew that too. So why the hell was he here throwing it in the chef's face?

"Raeger," Klaus began, dragging out his name in trepidation, "I won't pretend as though I'm privy to everything that's gone on between the two of you. But if you don't mind, I'd like to give you my two cents."

"Go ahead," Raeger spat, his voice unintentionally venomous. "Not like I can stop you."

"No, I suppose you can't," Klaus chuckled. "Raeger, when it comes to women, I don't believe anyone is an expert. Everyone is unique, and there's certainly no blanket cure to every disagreement. There are things that most of the villagers don't know about me, and one of them I'm going to share with you now."

Raeger waited, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists on the countertop.

"I…" Klaus cleared his throat. "I've had many, many girlfriends in the past. That's not a brag, by the way, so please don't think I'm boasting. I merely mean to say that I've had experience where many men have not. Including you, I believe."

Klaus shifted in his chair, the conversation unsettling him. Raeger was surprised. Sure, Klaus was an attractive man, not to mention sophisticated, so it wasn't impossible to imagine he'd seen his fair share of women. But the crease in Klaus's brow indicated that perhaps it was more than even Raeger meant when he said 'many'.

"I hope to offer you some advice," Klaus continued. "Maya, in the short time that I've known her, has proved to be a shining star in an otherwise black night sky. As I'm sure you know, I nearly pursued her myself. I… well, I've seen the way you look at her, Raeger. I know that look. And I know it's not wise to ignore it."

Raeger absently dropped Klaus's mug in front of him. It went untouched, the men locked in a stare that would chill even the hottest summers.

"Why are you telling me this?" Raeger spat, unable to stop himself from firing back. "As far as you're concerned, I'm out of the way. Isn't now the perfect time for you to White Knight in and save her?"

Klaus's jaw twitched. Raeger waited, his shoulders quaking.

"I'd be more than happy to," Klaus admitted, sending a shock of fear through Raeger's chest, " _if_ that's what Maya wanted."

Raeger pressed his lips together, holding back all the angry things he wanted to say.

"Alas, it seems like I'm the furthest thing from her mind," Klaus lamented, squaring his shoulders. "You have quite the spell cast, and I would argue that you still have time to fix whatever blunder caused this riff."

Raeger couldn't stand to look at the older man anymore. He turned abruptly, busying himself with a tea towel.

"This is none of your business," he ground out, struggling to keep his voice even. "It has absolutely nothing to do with you. So, I'd appreciate it if you could finish your coffee and get the fuck out of my restaurant."

Silence. Raeger didn't think he'd ever been that blunt with someone in his life, but he couldn't take it back. His heart was on fire, blood rushing through his veins with the force of a tidal wave. Klaus had no right to be here, rubbing salt in his open wounds.

"You're right."

Raeger tilted his head, just enough to tell Klaus he was still listening.

"This is none of my business," Klaus sighed, finally picking up his lukewarm mug. "And you certainly don't need to listen to me. I just thought I would give it a shot, since no one else seems to be able to get through to you."

Raeger took a calming breath, relaxing his iron grip on the tea towel.

"I have to get ready for supper," he muttered, taking a half-hearted step towards the kitchen. "Excuse me."

He almost made it to the corner before Klaus spoke again, stopping him in his tracks.

"But," he began, his voice hard and almost cold. "If I were you, I might think about listening to someone _besides_ that idiotic voice in your head, for once."

"And what the hell do you know?"

Raeger whirled just as fast as Klaus stood, nearly tipping his chair. Raeger took two massive steps towards the perfumer, not really sure what he was planning to do. Klaus watched him with cool interest, his golden eyes as solid as stone.

"Where have _you_ been over the last few weeks?" Raeger demanded, his blood pressure soaring. "You call yourself her friend, but who spent every night comforting her? Who gave up every second of free time they could to be there for her? Who dedicated their whole life to her? Who proved over and over that they want nothing but the best for her? There's only one man in this room that loves her more than anything, and it _sure as hell isn't you!_ "

Raeger let out a frustrated curse, tugging furiously on his hair. Klaus regarded him quietly, waiting for the tirade to pass.

"I _love_ her, you pompous piece of flowery shit," Raeger lamented, "I would do anything- _anything_ \- to fix this, but it's not. That. Simple. You can't just storm in here, pretending like you know everything, and tell me how to deal with my problems. You- you-"

"I what?" Klaus interrupted, an amused smile playing at his lips. "Please go on, I'm quite invested in this little rant of yours."

Raeger worked his jaw, choosing instead to say nothing. He'd already blown his lid, he didn't need to embarrass himself more. Raeger cast his eyes to the counter, measuring his breaths until he could speak again.

"The coffee is on the house," he said flatly, using every ounce of control he had left to ignore Klaus's chuckle.

"Thank you," he smirked, settling back into his chair. Raeger stayed where he was, feeling more drained than ever.

"Believe it or not," Klaus rumbled. Raeger wished he'd just shut up. "I didn't come here to antagonize you. I have one more thing to say, and then I'll drink my coffee and go."

Raeger waited.

"Whatever you may think, the solution to your problem _is_ that simple." Klaus leveled a hard stare in Raeger's direction, stirring milk into his cold coffee. "Grow up, and stop pushing her away. Whatever your fears, whatever your doubts, whatever it is that's holding you back, let it go."

"And if I can't?"

Klaus's face softened, making him look younger.

"Share it with her. Bear the burden together. I believe you two could foster a love that radiates light wherever you go, but not if you let her walk away."

Raeger stared. Whatever he was expecting Klaus to say, it most definitely wasn't that.

Bear the burden together. Share it.

Klaus's words sank into Raeger's stomach, resting there like a stone and eradicating the remnants of his anger. For all the worrying, all the pain, the drama, the wondering; one thought had never occurred to him before. Not in all that time.

It was ok.

It was ok that he didn't know what he was doing. It was ok that he was afraid. It was ok that he was on unstable footing. As long as he shared it with Maya, everything would be ok.

Raeger dropped his spoon with a loud clatter, the utensil ricocheting off the floor tile and striking his ankle before settling on the ground again. He wasn't even sure when he picked it up, but that didn't matter- Raeger was stripping off his apron and marching towards the front door.

"Sorry Klaus," he muttered, barely offering a glance to the perfumer. If he had, he would've seen his fond smile. "Can you lock up when you're done? I have someplace to be."

.

"This will blow over, dear. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but it will."

Maya chewed her lip, listening intently to Corona's soothing voice through the receiver.

"Raeger is a mess," she added, hoping to spark some life back into the distraught farmer. All things considered, she was handling it rather well. At any given moment, her heart was aching, but she was up and out of bed, and her farm work was done. Both Maya and Corona considered that a win.

"He's an idiot, that's what he is." Marian's voice echoed in the background, answered by some vicious shushing. "Well he is! He obviously loves her, I don't understand why-"

"Raeger's reasons are his own," Corona growled, shutting Marian down. Maya felt herself smile a little, "no matter how stupid they are."

"He doesn't need to justify anything," Maya sighed, picking lazily at some carrot sticks. She was hurt. Really, really hurt, but she meant what she said. Raeger didn't have to explain why he didn't want to be with her. She'd been ignoring his messages because she didn't want to listen to him try.

The line was dead as Corona tried to think of something to say. Maya glanced to the clock, realised the time, and saved her the trouble.

"I have to go water the garden," Maya insisted, struggling to her feet. "I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Corona promised she would check in soon, and then Maya hung up.

The relative silence of her farm house was more comforting than anything Corona and Marian could've said. She wasn't angry at Raeger, not really. He'd done nothing but be honest with her, even if he hadn't expressed himself the best. Maya was just… embarrassed.

She threw herself out there, much like she had with Klaus, and she got burned. Again. It was a hard pill to swallow.

And then for Raeger to tell her to pursue Klaus after all… well, that stung.

"I'm such an idiot," she sighed, pulling her sweater lower on her thighs. Maya wasn't sure how this was going to affect her friendship with Raeger, but she knew it wasn't going to be good. She hadn't risked looking at any of his texts, but Corona assured her that his cold seems to have eased off. At least Maya wasn't worrying about his health, on top of feeling so rejected.

Raeger had told her she'd be better off with Klaus. There was only one major problem with that: Maya didn't want Klaus. She wanted Raeger.

Watering the garden was a bit of a lie. Maya went to the sink, poured a glass of water, and drank. She just needed a day, one day, to get back to herself. She'd text Raeger tomorrow, if he was still willing to talk to her, and then they could try and smooth this out, if it was even possible.

For now, Maya needed peace. She sniffled, fighting back fleeting thoughts of how happy she'd been not 24 hours ago, and downed another glass of water. What's done is done, and once she was rested, she could focus on picking up the pieces.

.

"Maya!"

Raeger's fist pounded against her door, rattling the window to mimic the shaking in his knees. She was home, he knew she was home, but getting her to answer him was another matter entirely.

"Maya, please! Open the door!" He pleaded, feeling panic stir in the back of his throat. The entire walk to Maya's farm had been fueled with jumpy adrenaline. He felt alive, excited, determined, and also faintly nauseated. "I need to talk to you!"

Raeger brought his hand up for another desperate rap when suddenly he heard the unmistakeable sound of a lock turning. He was going to do this. He was really going to do this.

And as much as he hated to admit it, he was here because of Klaus.

After his anger ebbed, Raeger realised what a dick he'd been. Klaus was there trying to help, in his own way, and Raeger nearly punched him. That was so unlike him, but his nerves felt raw. Klaus was both the worst and best person to give him a pep talk today, and while it almost resulted in a fight, it also got him to Maya's doorstep.

Klaus was a good guy after all.

Catching his breath, Raeger prepared himself for Maya to open the door. He wasn't sure she would at first, maybe she'd change her mind at the last minute, but after a few deep breaths the knob began to turn. A flood of relief washed him but it was immediately followed by panic. In that instant, he realised that he hadn't prepared this far ahead. A terrible fear gripped him then; he'd been so focused on just getting Maya to respond that he hadn't actually figured out what he was going to say.

"Raeger, I'm really not in the mood to talk right now."

Maya's quiet voice drew his attention to the newly formed crack in the door. She was there, just as he'd hoped she'd be. But she wasn't herself. Raeger's heart sank as he took in her ruffled hair and glittering eyes, her faint pout and barely audible sniffle.

 _I did this. I did this to her._

Raeger's nails dug painfully into the palms of his hands, his knuckles going white. Corona was right to berate him. He didn't think he could ever forgive himself for this.

"I'm sorry," he apologised quickly. Raeger wasn't entirely sure what he should say, but an apology seemed like a good start. He tried to stop his shuffling feet as he continued, "I really need to talk to you."

Maya fixed him with her watery gaze, taking a deep, steadying breath.

"Fine," she whispered, too tired to argue. She'd been awake most of the night, alternating between texting Corona and Marian. She pulled her shoulders back, opened the door until she could face Raeger properly, and waited.

And that's where Raeger froze.

Shit. _Shit._ What the hell was he supposed to say? I'm sorry? Yeah, duh, but what else?

"Maya I-" he began, tumbling over his words. "I know I've been an absolute asshole. Like, the worst kind of asshole. But you have to understand-"

No, idiot. She didn't _have_ to do anything. Breathe. Start again.

"What I said yesterday… it was stupid. It was so, so stupid. I didn't mean a word of it, I swear. I just-"

"If you didn't mean it," Maya interrupted, hurt in her voice, "why did you say it?"

Raeger blinked, flip-flopping between being embarrassingly honest, or just honest.

"Because I'm a shitty person?" He ventured, wincing when she didn't laugh. "Ok, no jokes yet. Got it. Uh," he chewed his tongue. "Maya, I don't know why I said those things. I really- okay well I kind of know, but it was dumb. It was a total non-reason."

From the look on Maya's face, he was making less and less sense as he went on.

"Ok, I'm fucking this up…" he trailed, bouncing on his heels. "This is exactly why I said what I said yesterday. I was afraid of hurting you by accident, and then I hurt you on purpose- wait! No, not on purpose. I meant I hurt you when I tried to avoid hurting you. And that makes no sense, does it?"

Raeger groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the stress headache forming between his ears.

"I care about you so much," he rambled, his heart thumping at the speed of a jackrabbit, "and that terrifies me. I'm no good at this stuff, I never have been, and I've already let you down so many times. I can't stand the thought of hurting you, ever, and I just-"

Raeger was too caught up in his endless stream of verbal vomit to notice that Maya's sniffling had stopped, her tears drying before they reached her cheeks.

"You deserve so much better than me. Klaus- I hate him right now- but he could make you happy. I mean- shit, why did I bring up Klaus? I'm such an idiot-"

Raeger groaned, digging his fingers into his skull.

"What I mean is- I thought that you- that I- I didn't trust myself enough to give you everything you deserve in life, and I just wanted you to be happy, but I also want you to be happy with me, and after yesterday that's _all_ I want, but I fucked it up so colossally, and I- I-"

Maya was giggling now, watching Raeger stumble helplessly over his words. His hair was unruly now that he'd pushed his hands through it so much, and he looked vaguely sick. Maya couldn't hold back her smile.

Finally, Raeger sighed, releasing the breath that he'd been trying to hold. "I suck at this," he grinned, encouraged by the sight and sound of Maya's laughter. It was one of his favourite sounds in the world.

"Yes, you do," she agreed, her eyes crinkling happily. "But I think you got your point across."

She pulled the door the rest of the way open, a tentative excitement building in her stomach.

"I hate you, you know that, right?" she informed him, quirking her eyebrow. Raeger grinned, the same tentative excitement rushing his heart.

"You absolutely have every right to," he agreed, taking a step closer to her. She didn't move away, which he took as a good sign. With a brave hand, he traced his index finger along the side of her cheek. "I hate me too. Do you think we can hate me together?"

Maya snorted, shaking her head.

"I shouldn't forgive you so easily," she insisted, thinking back to the pain she'd felt only moments ago. "You hurt me. A lot."

A shadow passed over Raeger's face.

"I know," he murmured, his finger dragging across a wayward tear. "And I will never forgive myself for that. I… I love you, Maya. I love you so much, but I have no idea what to do with that. I've never loved someone as much as I love you, and I'd rather see you happy with another man than choose me and get hurt again."

"Hurt is a part of love, Raeger," Maya corrected, leaning into his touch. "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose. I just… I want to figure this out together. I can't do that if you're making my choices for me."

Raeger smiled, feeling as stupid and happy as he'd ever felt before.

"You're right," he agreed, "I was a jerk. I can't make decisions for you, even if I think they're the right ones."

Maya shoved him.

"Ouch, now _that_ hurt," he mocked, rubbing his arm. Maya eyed him skeptically. "Did I not just say I'm terrible at this?"

"You weren't kidding."

Raeger rolled his eyes, feeling that now-familiar flutter in his heart as he looked at Maya, at the way she regarded him with fun, and happiness, and maybe even love.

"Maya…" he began, chewing his lip. "Will you choose me?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth that fear locked around his throat. Raeger waited, feeling like the world had stopped, as Maya blinked up at him, choosing her response carefully.

"Raeger," Maya smiled, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. "I choose you."

"Call me Pikachu," he grinned, fighting off his glee with the first joke he thought of. Maya's smile immediately fell, her brows furrowing in a deadly glare that scared him into nervous laughter.

"Uh, never mind," he cleared his throat. A great relief was finally flooding through him, his bones quivering like jelly, assuming he hadn't already messed it all up with a poorly timed Pokémon reference. "Can I just kiss you now? Before I say anything really stupid?"

Maya had barely bobbed her head when she was swept off the floor and into Raeger's embrace.

She shrieked, her startled cry fading into oblivion as Raeger's mouth covered hers, sloppy and desperate, making them both laugh. There was a moment of light-headedness as they spun, and then her feet were on the floor again, her back pressed against the wall.

"I love you," Raeger mumbled, his fingers brushing gently through her auburn hair. Maya's heart thumped against her ribs.

"I love you too," she smiled, her words captured by his lips as they kissed again.

This time, Raeger felt nothing holding him back. Their kisses before were clouded with doubt and questions, but now he felt light. His lips grew rough and demanding, no longer restricted. Maya wrapped her fingers in his thick hair, tugging as they kissed.

This is what he wanted, what he'd been craving. Maya's body was electric in his embrace, making him tingle in all of the best ways. He pressed her hungrily against the wall, granting a cursory glance to the front door to make sure it was locked, and then let himself go.

He was kissing Maya. And not _just_ kissing Maya, but kissing the woman that he was finally going to make his.

"Breathe," Maya panted, breaking the kiss to suck in a gulp of air. "Can't breathe."

Raeger laughed, instead trailing a string of light kisses along her jaw and down the slope of her neck. He felt Maya's fingers twisting soft patterns through his hair.

"I have been known to have that effect on women," Raeger purred, grazing his teeth over Maya's skin. She rolled her eyes, taking the opportunity to whisper softly in his ear.

"And what about the effect I have on you?"

She punctuated her question with a gentle, slow flick of her tongue along the shell of his ear.

Raeger felt himself immediately grow stiff. He hadn't intended this to be more than what it was, a whirlwind kiss, but they _were_ alone in Maya's house…

What exactly was the problem?

A newfound thrill trickled through his veins. Raeger's hands found Maya's hips, caressing them, pulling her body closer to his. She hummed happily, tightening her grip on him. He smirked.

"Are you going to stop me this time?" Raeger whispered huskily, wedging his knee gently between Maya's legs. She shook her head, whimpering as he rubbed against her.

"As long as you don't say another woman's name this time," she breathed, digging her nails desperately into his skin. Raeger groaned, sinking his teeth into the delicate skin near the base of her neck.

"Fuck no," he cursed, suckling until he left a definitive mark. Maya gasped, arching her back into his touch. "I'm only thinking about you."

Maya laughed breathlessly, arching her back until they were wholly entangled.

Raeger could never quite get a handle on kissing Maya. He wasn't bad at it, at least he didn't think he was, but he was always so overwhelmed. Each time they'd stop, he'd convince himself he was overthinking, that he was imagining how good she tasted, that he exaggerated how soft her lips were, it was impossible for one person to be so damn enchanting. But then they would kiss again and it was like an injection of fire beneath his skin. Raeger wasn't imagining it at all- it was perfect and imperfect, exciting and comforting, new and familiar, all at once. He'd _never_ kissed anyone like this before.

Maya's hands trailed down his chest, undoing the buttons of his shirt and tugging the fabric free of his body. Raeger let her do the work, focusing instead on keeping his tongue firmly in her mouth.

If Fritz walked in on them this time, Raeger didn't think he'd ever forgive his friend. As if to reassure himself, Raeger gave the bolt on the door another cursory glance. Having found it tightly locked, he let out a breath.

"What's wrong?" Maya murmured, peppering kisses along his jaw and neck. Raeger shook his head, threading his fingers through her hair.

"Nothing," he promised, interrupting her explorative kisses with a deep, sensual one of his own. "Nothing at all."

Maya smiled, satisfied with his answer. She pushed herself away from the wall, pulling him with her to her bedroom. Raeger noticed something different in Maya this time; she was bolder, braver, and, somehow, sexier than before. Maybe it was the relief of finally knowing what their relationship was, or maybe it was something else, but whatever it was drove him wild.

She only meant to guide him down next to her on her bed, but Raeger had other plans. In one fluid motion he pushed her backwards until he was hovering over her, his knee returning to its' comfortable position between her thighs.

"I think you're overdressed," he commented, toying with the hem of her sweater. Maya rose to the bait, wiggling free of the garment. Raeger took a moment to drink her in, every inch of supple skin that he couldn't see before, from the slope of her neck to just below her navel, everything was utterly beautiful. He absolutely had to have his hands on her.

He kissed her until he was lightheaded, his palms slipping down her sides until they caught on the waist of her pants. Maya gave him a challenging look, one that forced him to take note of how dark her irises were. Raeger's throat went dry.

"I'll take off mine if you take off yours," he offered, grinning to mask how completely she affected him. Maya nodded, shimmying until she was left in only her bra and panties. Raeger sucked in a breath.

He took his own pants off in a daze, too focused on the goddess before him to think about much else. Maya was more stunning than he ever could've pictured, with soft curves and smooth, pale skin covering every inch of her body. Raeger let his eyes drag over her, a myriad of inappropriate thoughts assaulting his mind.

And he could finally act on them all.

Maya's body pulled him back to her like a magnet, twining their limbs together as Raeger's hands made their way to more intimate parts of her. He briefly brushed over her chest, relishing in how well Maya's breasts fit in his palm, before he slipped further down, his fingers teasing the hem of her underwear.

"I love you," Maya whispered again, and he loved the sound of it as it spilled from her lips. Raeger replied in kind, shifting until one of her legs was caught under his, and then he reached between her thighs.

She was already soaking wet, his fingers slipping easily inside of her. Maya gasped, her grip on his hair tightening. Raeger groaned, feeling her warmth surround him. It was better than he ever could've imagined, and they weren't even having sex yet.

Soft, desperate moans began to spill from Maya's throat as he played, her head tipped back. Raeger ran his lips down her slender neck, danced across her collarbone, and slid back up to her ear, nibbling and licking the sensitive skin he found there. Maya shuddered, tangling her fingers even deeper in Raeger's thick hair.

Everything they did felt so natural. It wasn't like other women he'd been with, where they spent the first few times figuring each other out. No, it was like he and Maya had already formed that bond, and now he knew exactly what to do.

"You're so fucking gorgeous," Raeger whispered sensually, his words ghosting across Maya's flushed skin. He captured her answering whimper with his mouth, twirling his tongue with hers until she couldn't breathe.

Her hips bucked involuntarily as he moved, her back arching off the bed as pleasure pooled in the pit of her stomach. Raeger groaned at the feeling. His erection was straining against his boxers, begging to be attended to. He began to slowly undulate his hips, rubbing himself against Maya's thigh for some relief. She noticed what he was doing, loosing one of her hands from his hair to reach down and wrap her slender fingers around his shaft.

Raeger gasped, the firm grip she fixed him with took him off guard, and he couldn't suppress the satisfied rumble that reverberated through his chest. He thrusted into her palm, panting now as the pleasure of her touch overwhelmed him.

"Shit," Maya murmured, almost to herself, "you're so big."

Raeger's eyes squeezed shut, his heart beating hard. Maya's sweet, soft voice tickling his ears with desire was almost more than he could take. He felt himself shudder, but fought it viciously back down.

He couldn't stop yet. He didn't want to- every fibre of his being wanted this to last as long as it possibly could. With a great effort, he stopped pumping into Maya's hand, removing it from his boxers and placing it on her own breast.

"Grab it," He whispered in her ear, licking the shell to coerce her into complying. She did, massaging her voluptuous chest with a rhythm that sent his heart galloping. Raeger moved his lips from Maya's ear, capturing her raised nipple in the warmth of his mouth and suckling gently.

Maya gasped again, pleasure rushing her like a tidal wave, crashing over her entire body as she shook, digging her nails into Raeger's skin as she repeated his name over and over again until she could no longer speak.

"Fuck," Raeger cursed, removing his hand and covering Maya's body with his own in one swift motion.

Maya was still caught in her climax, whimpering as she came down from her high. Raeger gently parted her thighs, hooking her knees around his hips, and slipped easily inside of her.

He groaned in answer to her satisfied cry, reveling in the sensations coursing through him as he was wrapped in her heat. Maya rolled her hips, pulling him further inside her, encouraging him to move. Raeger did, pumping his hips in slow, deliberate thrusts.

"Harder," Maya pleaded. Raeger complied, increasing the pace of his thrusts until Maya's breasts were bouncing deliciously. He didn't expect her to be a talker, but it was the best kind of surprise.

Her moans got louder, but it wasn't enough. Raeger needed her to scream, to cry out his name with as much vigor as she could, an incredible, possessive need had overcome him, and without further hesitation he turned Maya over, positioning her on her knees and gripping her hips.

He'd never felt so rough before. Raeger pounded into her, watching as she moved with him, lost in the pleasure that he was giving her. How had he ever doubted her feelings? He was kicking himself now, terrified by the notion that he'd almost lost her, driven to feel as close to her as he could get.

Maya sank into the bed, her breasts pressed tightly to the cushions, her knuckles white as she gripped the throw pillow.

"Christ," Raeger cursed, tracing the deep curve in her spine with his eyes, feeling a tight coil in the pit of his stomach. He was so close, his legs quaking as he thrust harder and harder, Maya's cries drowning out any other thoughts he may have. With a final groan, Raeger reached around Maya's hips and let his fingers toy with her, until they were both left gasping and satisfied.

Without waiting for them to catch their breath, Raeger flipped Maya onto her back and fell on top of her, wrapping her legs around him, his arms around her waist, and kissed her. She whimpered into his mouth, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck, her skin flush, sweat sticking to both of their bodies.

He kissed her as long as he could, breaking away only when he needed air. Raeger let his head drop into the crook of Maya's neck as they panted, caught in each other's embrace. They were silent except for their breathing, glowing in the aftermath.

"I sure as hell hope you weren't thinking about Klaus _that_ time."

Maya erupted into a laugh, having forgotten for a moment the strange circumstances behind their very first kiss. She shook her head, pressing playful kisses along Raeger's jaw. He grinned, tightening his hold on her waist.

"You know, for a moment there," she winked, meeting his gaze with mischief. "I was entirely focused on you."

 **The end.**


End file.
